Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham did not attend a gubernatorial forum for business and community leaders hosted by the New Mexico Business Coalition, the NAIOP and other organizations.
“About 350 business and community leaders paid to attend this luncheon specifically to hear from both gubernatorial candidates,” Carla J. Sonntag, president and founder of the New Mexico Business Coalition told the New Mexico Sun. “Given the extensive damage done to many businesses by the governor's COVID response, this forum was a chance to hear directly from Lujan Grisham about what the business community could expect if she is re-elected."
Small-business owners representing various industries attended, Sonntag said.
"As a co-host of the event, New Mexico Business Coalition was able to interact directly with business owners who felt the governor had disrespected them by not showing up and that it was a mistake for her to not consider their interests,” she said. “The absence of the governor allowed Mark Ronchetti to have center stage with much more time to answer questions posed by a local political reporter. Instead of a forum, it turned out to be a direct interview of Ronchetti with everyone focused solely on him. In contrast to the feeling of being disrespected by the governor, many in the room expressed sincere appreciation to Ronchetti for taking the time to let the business community know his plans and policy positions, if he is elected governor.”
Grisham’s campaign was notified of the event last year, when the date was set, the Coalition said, the New Mexican reported. The campaign stated that there were two dates the event could have landed on, and the organizers picked the date that Grisham couldn’t attend, the Business Coalition said. It was determined later that Grisham was in Colorado, for another political event, the group said.
A former meteorologist, Ronchetti’s lack of experience, both in business and politically, were among the questions that he faced at the event.
There were representatives from Grisham’s camp present at the event, though she wasn’t. In addition, John A. Garcia, secretary of the New Mexico General Services Department and a Republican member of her cabinet, was at the event. Garcia sat at the same table as Ronchetti.
"After the event, when the governor's staff were questioned about her whereabouts and why she missed the forum, they initially would not answer the questions," Sonntag told the New Mexico Sun. "Eventually it was confirmed that Lujan Grisham was in Colorado, attending fundraising/political events. The takeaway, based on comments from New Mexico Business Coalition business owners who attended the event, was that the governor's decision indicated overconfidence at best and arrogance at worst. Time will tell how this will impact the election results, but it's worth noting that the nearly 350 attendees of this event have influence on tens of thousands of employees, customers and associates."