Domenici
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The Sunday Journal
DOMENICI: A Man For New Mexico
Albuquerque, December
7
,
2008
2001
n
As majority party status shifts to the Democrats, Domenici forced to step down as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee but retains various influential roles as a senior GOP member.
Milestones
2003
n
Named chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
2004
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A longtime supporter of nuclear technology, he publishes “A Brighter Tomorrow: Fulfilling the Promise of Nuclear Energy.”
n
Helps to secure another $91 million for the Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Applications (MESA) Complex at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque.
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New U.S. District Courthouse in Albuquerque is named after Domenici.
1932
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Pietro Vichi Domenici born May 7 in his parents’ downtown Albuquerque home. The Domenicis, who emigrated from Italy, owned Montezuma Grocery Co. on North First Street.
1950
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Graduates from St. Mary’s High School in Albuquerque.
1954
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Earns education degree from the University of New Mexico.
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Pitches for the minor league Albuquerque Dukes, then a farm club for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
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Teaches math at Garfield Junior High School in Albuquerque’s North Valley.
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Enrolls in law school at the University of Denver.
1958
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Graduates from the University of Denver Law School.
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Marries Nancy Burk after meeting her at UNM. The couple go on to have eight children.
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Domenici begins practicing law in Albuquerque.
1966
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Elected to Albuquerque City Commission.
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Legally changes his name to Pete V. Domenici.
1967
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Elected chairman of the City Commission, which was equivalent to being mayor.
1970
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Runs for governor and loses to Democrat Bruce King from Stanley, a former speaker of the state House of Representatives.
1972
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Elected to U.S. Senate, defeating Democrat Jack Daniels, a Hobbs businessman. Domenici, who garners 54 percent of the vote, is the first Republican to win the seat in 38 years.
1973
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Given a seat on the Senate Budget Committee.
1978
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Re-elected to second U.S. Senate term with 53.4 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Toney Anaya, a former New Mexico attorney general who would go on to become governor in 1983.
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Wins passage of his first major piece of legislation — Inland Waterways Authorization Bill, taxes commercial shippers.
1981
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Ascends to chairmanship of the Senate Budget Committee during the “Reagan Revolution” and increasingly becomes national figure while retaining his identity as a pragmatic, political moderate.
n
Secures the first $15 million for what will become the $463 million Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Applications (MESA) Complex at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque.
First Albuquerque home at 1801 Candelaria NW.President Bush watches training exercises at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia.A new federal courthouse in Albuquer-que is named for the senator. Signing the 2005 energy bill.Six-term Sen. Pete Domenici embraces his wife, Nancy, after announcing his retirement in Albuquerque on Oct. 4, 2007.New Mexico’s congressional delega-tion fought to prevent the closure of Cannon Air Force Base at Clovis.
1984
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Re-elected to third Senate term with 71.9 percent of the vote, defeating state Rep. Judy Pratt of Albuquerque.
1985
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With Sen. Bob Dole’s help, passes a bill freezing Social Security cost-of-living adjustments, a measure aimed at balancing the federal budget.
1988
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Makes presidential candidate George H.W. Bush’s short list for vice president, but Bush ultimately chooses Indiana Sen. Dan Quayle.
1989
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Secures funding to convert the dormant Midwest Christian College campus in Artesia to a branch of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.
1990
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Re-elected to fourth term in the U.S. Senate, defeating state Sen. Tom Benavides, D-Albuquerque, with 72.9 percent of the vote.
1995
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Helps congressional delegation and local committee fend off Pentagon recommendation to Base Realignment and Closure Commission to cut 6,850 jobs from Kirtland Air Force Base.
1996
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Wins a fifth term in the U.S. Senate with 64 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Art Trujillo.
1997
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Leads negotiations that result in a federal Balanced Budget Act. The deal is widely hailed as a major legislative achievement and becomes one of the hallmarks of Domenici’s career. The next year, the federal budget runs a surplus for the first time since 1969.
1998
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Travels to Russia and France to foster support for an overhaul of U.S. policy on nuclear weapons and energy. Advocates more nuclear-powered electrical plants and conversion of weapons-grade plutonium from decommissioned U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons into fuel for nuclear power plants.
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Agrees on plan for public acquisition of the 89,000-acre Baca Ranch in the Jemez Mountains, which includes the Valles Caldera.
1999
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Aggravates an old elbow injury while playing touch football on Thanksgiving with his grandchildren. The injury would eventually lead to partial paralysis of his right hand — forcing him to greet people with his left hand — and chronic pain.
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First shipment of transuranic waste arrives at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad — the nation’s first permanent storage facility for nuclear waste. Domenici is a longtime supporter of the project.
2002
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Re-elected to sixth U.S. Senate term with 65 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Gloria Tristani. He is the first New Mexican to be elected to a six full terms in the Senate.
n
Hospitalized for five days to treat nerve-damaged elbow and hand pain. Begins occasionally using a motorized scooter to get around the Capitol.
2005
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Comprehensive Energy Policy Act of 2005 passes after three years of effort from Domenici. Domenici calls it his greatest accomplishment after 33 years in Congress.
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President Bush signs the energy bill on Aug. 8 at Sandia National Laboratories.
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Closes a loophole in the Pueblo Act of 1924 that created “prosecution-free zones” on some pueblo lands.
2006
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Joins state’s congressional delegation in announcing that Cannon Air Force Base, targeted for closure by the Defense Department’s 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, will instead become home to a Special Operations Wing, saving an estimated 2,800 military and civilian jobs and more than 1,000 related jobs in the Clovis area.
n
Though initially hesitant to ban drilling in New Mexico’s pristine Valle Vidal, votes in favor of the bill, which passes both houses and becomes law.
2007
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Loses chairmanship of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which goes to Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M.
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Apologizes for a pre-election call to then-U.S. Attorney David Iglesias about the status of public corruption cases possibly embarrassing to Democrats.
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Citing a need for a new strategy, the senator joins a growing number of Republican senators to break ranks with President Bush on the conduct of the war in Iraq.
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As top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Domenici heralds filing of first nuclear power plant application in 29 years.
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Citing the onset of a degenerative brain disease, Domenici announces he will not seek a seventh term.
2008
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Legislation for mental health parity in insurance coverage — championed by Domenici for more than a decade — wins passage.
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Senate ethics committee issues “Public Letter of Qualified Admonition” to Domenici for a 2006 call to then-U.S. Attorney David Iglesias. Committee says Domenici should not have made the call, but found “no substantial evidence” that he tried to improperly influence a federal investigation.
n
The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Law Enforcement Training Center at Artesia is renamed the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center — Pete V. Domenici Training Complex. The facility, created with Domenici’s help in 1989, trains thousands of federal law enforcement agents annually.
The Sunday Journal
DOMENICI: A Man For New Mexico
Albuquerque, December
7
,
2008
3
By John Robertson
Journal State Editor
T
his
special section reviews the highlights of the life and career of Pete Domenici, New Mexico’s longest-serving United States senator.The
Journal
reached into photo and news archives compiled over more than four decades of reporting on Domenici and asked reporters to interview knowledgeable people about his background and contributions.Domenici announced in October 2007 his pending retirement after he was diagnosed with a degenerative brain disease. In a twist of good news, he told a
Journal
reporter recently that he was feeling much better and that the disease had stalled. In fact, one researcher told him he didn’t believe he had the disease at all. But Domenici said he did not regret his decision to step down.The senator himself was in the
Journal
offices the other day for a farewell chat. His acket cuffs were a little frayed and he wore a wristwatch with a yellow face and a red Zia symbol.The worn coat and New Mexico watch seemed to reflect themes that run throughout the stories and testimonials in this tribute: hard work, long service and devotion to New Mexico.Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., who has served all 25 of his years in the Senate with Domenici, spoke in August at the Domenici Legacy Conference at New Mexico State University and said, “The four hallmarks of the Domenici legacy can be summarized in four words: budget, energy, nuclear and labs.”As chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and later as chairman of Senate Energy and Natural Resources, Domenici rose to prominence in Congress and provided national leadership on the federal budget and energy policy. In 1997, while he was Senate Budget Committee chairman, Congress passed its first balanced budget in more than three decades. Meanwhile, Bingaman noted, Domenici always knew what New Mexico communities needed and wanted.“Few can match his record of accomplishment, and, I think it’s safe to say, the respect and affection the citizens of a state have for their senator and his family,” Bingaman said.“I’m a legislator,” Domenici once said of himself. In a single word, it said a lot about his career. Colleagues say he was good, both at City Hall and then in Congress, at working with others to get things done for his town and his state.As his career draws to a close, there’s no shortage of buildings and roads being named for the retiring senator. But New Mexicans obviously think the recognition is due.The
Journal’s
late Washington correspondent, Paul R. Wieck, in 1983 reported a story being told inside the New Mexico congressional delegation. Domenici had asked a delegation member who was up for election what he could do to help.“Stop taking credit for everything that happens in the state,” the fellow New Mexican said.It was told as a joke, but the truth is that Domenici was ubiquitous when it came to getting money, projects and services sent New Mexico’s way. For years, he served on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. Meanwhile, his staff helped countless individuals and families with with everyday problems. Back home, critics somewhat resentfully dubbed him St. Pete.But the critics were few. Nearly 70 percent of voters surveyed in the last Journal poll on his job performance said they approved. Throughout, he was a Republican in a Democratic majority state.There were few incidents to mar the luster of his career — perhaps only one that will be remembered. That was his phone call to the U.S. attorney for New Mexico at the height of the 2006 election about an investigation that could prove embarrassing to Democrats. Domenici said he regretted making the call and apologized. The Senate ethics committee issued a “Public Letter of Qualified Admonition” but found “no substantial evidence” that Domenici had improperly tried to influence an investigation.While he relished his big-vote margins in six elections to the Senate, the senator from New Mexico was the opposite of the blow-dried, blow-hard politician who has become the image of Washington. He wasn’t running for president. He wasn’t lining his own pockets. He was a practical man who took his job seriously and focused on helping his state.In his own farewell speech on the Senate floor in September, Domenici thanked key members of his staff over the years, including Steve Bell, Bill Hoagland and Alex Flint. He thanked his wife, Nancy, mother of their eight children, for living with the distractions and demands of his political career.“It has not been an easy job,” Domenici said of his wife. “She probably has had as hard a job — a much harder job than I — and she’s never been anything but beautiful and decent, honest and loving and caring.”Then, in a modest summation of his own efforts, the man from New Mexico said, “I worked pretty hard at being a senator.”
‘I worked pretty hard’
Popular N.M. senator remembered for dedication, long service to state
JOURNAL FILE
The Cochiti Pueblo Drum Group and Zuni Pueblo Olla Maidens stand behind Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., at the 2004 dedication of the Pete V. Domenici Indian Affairs Building in Albuquerque.
T
he people first put their trust in Pete Domenici when they elected him to the Albuquerque City Commission. New Mexicans liked what they saw, so they sent the hardworking son of Italian immigrants to represent New Mexico in the United States Senate.To say that he repaid that trust would be a huge understatement. Few have done as much for their state and their country. He worked tirelessly during his six terms in the Senate on behalf of his beloved New Mexico, and built a national legacy on issues ranging from the budget to energy independence.He has distinguished himself as an honorable and ethical public servant, and we are pleased to publish this section in honor of his legacy. We wish Pete and his family all the best.Gracias, mi amigo
T.H. Lang, Publisher
From the Publisher
EDITOR
JOHN ROBERTSON
DESIGNERS
LEAH DERRINGTONRACHEL CONGER
PHOTO EDITOR
JAIME DISPENZA
WRITERSONABQJournal.com
MICHAEL COLEMAN JOHN FLECK TOBY SMITHOLIVIER UYTTEBROUCK
Go online
to see video excerpts of Michael Coleman’s extensive interview with Sen. Domenici
Our best wishes, as always, Senator Domenici!Don Chalmers, Terri Cole andThe Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce
For your lifetime commitment to bettering the lives of all New Mexicans, for your dedicated leadership and support of the Republican Party, and for your unwavering friendship, we thank you. Your service to New Mexico has touched generations, brought people together, and provided a foundation for the future.
You will never be forgotten and will always be our St. Pete!
Paid for by the Republican Party of New Mexico
.
Thank You for a lifetime of service!