The PR Perspective

The Family on the Train

The Family on the Train

As a part of my Christmas holiday travel, I worked in a trip on the Amtrak.

This was my fourth long haul train trip, first on the Texas Eagle (Fort Worth to Chicago, about 23 hours of travel). While the trip itself wasn’t memorable, by design.  The people on the train (and the views) are always what makes it worthwhile for my travel taste.

Swim Bike & Sling

Swim Bike & Sling

Despite how the finishing photo looked, my recent Ironman 70.3 Boulder triathlon ended with a finish and a personal best time for that distance when I raced in the 2016 Toughman event in New Mexico.

Run Tom Run!

Run Tom Run!

As of the writing of this blog, I’ve been running 2 years, 9 months, 26 days and 13 hours. During that time, I’ve had the opportunity to train for and complete three marathons, three half marathons, two cross-country relays and a handful of fun run 5K and 10K races.

Three Unique NM Election Storylines

Three Unique NM Election Storylines

New Mexico’s post election analysis will include a number of pundits laying blame, pointing fingers and claiming success. Here are three uniquely New Mexico story lines from the 2012 Election.

In Plain Sight v. Breaking Bad

U.S. Marshall Mary Shannon, played by Governor Susana Martinez, fell short of capturing Walter White, played by Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez. But the PAC run by her political operative, played by Jay McCleskey, was successful in dislodging two other core senate leaders (Senate Pro Tem Tim Jennings and Senate Majority Whip Mary Jane Garcia). Did the Governor get a pathway through the Senate for her legislative agenda? No, the “all in” strategy only agitated an already independent political body, played by the New Mexico Senate.

Judiciary v Scarlet Letter

Approaching 11:59pm on election night it was apparent that the Governor’s coat-tails were more tripping up her judiciary picks than pulling them to victory. An aggressive advertising campaign that publically aligned the Governor with conservative judges appears to have backfired, providing a scarlet letter, of sorts, giving liberal voters an outlet to vent their angst.

Paul Lynde v. Jerry McGuire

The effort to raise the minimum wage got a huge boost of support when pro-business groups went for the “Block” to keep the issue off of the ballot. The issue might have survived if pro-business groups created a “You Complete Me” coalition with the pro-wage groups to identify ways to improve the workforce and working conditions for Albuquerque-area employees.

Finally, these views are my own and do not represent opinions of my company or the clients we have the opportunity to represent.