HOUSE MEMORIAL 94

51st legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2014

INTRODUCED BY

W. Ken Martinez

A MEMORIAL

THANKING REPRESENTATIVE HENRY KIKI SAAVEDRA FOR HIS DEDICATION TO NEW MEXICO THROUGH HIS LONG YEARS OF SERVICE IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND WISHING HIM WELL IN HIS FINAL RETIREMENT; DECLARING FEBRUARY 17, 2014 AS "KIKI DAY IN THE HOUSE".

     WHEREAS, Representative Henry Kiki Saavedra came to the thirty-third legislature, in 1977, as the representative for house district 10, which at that time included the southern portion of Bernalillo county and a small part of Valencia county; and

     WHEREAS, his interests were in improving job opportunities and providing adequate social services, including services for the elderly and disabled, to his constituents in his district; and

     WHEREAS, he has continued to work on these issues, along with improving the criminal justice system by ensuring that the courts, prosecutors and public defenders have adequate resources; and

     WHEREAS, perhaps most importantly, Kiki has been instrumental in building consensus across the aisle in the crafting of many, many general appropriation acts; and

     WHEREAS, Kiki has spent almost half his life in the New Mexico house of representatives, serving both his district constituents and the residents of the state; and

     WHEREAS, Kiki came into the legislature during the time of the legendary Mama Lucy's and he learned how to be a legislator under the expert tutelage of Speaker Walter K. Martinez and knew our Speaker Martinez as a youngster; and

     WHEREAS, during his long legislative career, Representative Saavedra has served on some iteration of most of the standing committees and many of the interim committees that have been created or sustained over his legislative lifetime, most notably serving on the legislative finance committee since 1983 and on the house appropriations and finance committee since 1989; and

     WHEREAS, Kiki has served with distinction in the South Valley caucus, and has earned the esteemed title of "Chairman Emeritus" or perhaps more properly, "Presidente Emérito"; and

     WHEREAS, when he announced that he would not seek reelection in 2014, the Albuquerque Journal wrote an editorial in praise of his "almost four decades of bipartisan pragmatism that put the state in front of party ideologies and pork fests"; and

     WHEREAS, the editorial went on to praise him as "someone who has brought bottom-line honesty to the complex world of state budgeting" and quoted Speaker of the House W. Ken Martinez as saying that he always points to Representative Saavedra as a model legislator; and

     WHEREAS, lest this memorial get too serious, it is important to remind the body that Kiki has always been counted on to lighten the mood in this chamber or in committee; and

     WHEREAS, only four members of this house have been here long enough to remember when, in 1988, the Honorable Henry Kiki Saavedra was honored by a memorial that "declared him to be HOUSE JESTER for now and forever"; and

     WHEREAS, the then-speaker appointed a committee to solicit funds to purchase proper attire, with bells, for the Honorable House Jester, but one wonders if it was ever able to get enough money to buy said attire; and

     WHEREAS, by the way, what happened to that money?; and

     WHEREAS, if said attire was purchased, why hasn't the Honorable House Jester worn it at least once each session since then, if only to remind new members of his elevated status in the house of representatives. (And is house jester part of the house leadership? Is that position higher or lower than caucus chair or parliamentarian?); and

     WHEREAS, House Memorial 92 of the thirty-eighth legislature, second session, began by noting that Kiki was one of the handsomest members of that illustrious body, and, it should be noted, that still holds true today in this illustrious body;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it acknowledge and honor Representative Henry Kiki Saavedra for his dedication to New Mexico through his long years of service in the house of representatives by declaring February 17, 2014 as "Kiki Day in the House"; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that on this, perhaps Kiki's last retirement, after much-earlier retiring from a career with the Albuquerque parks and recreation department, we foresee many pleasant days during future Decembers, Januarys, Februarys and odd-numbered Marches spent with his family, especially his six grandchildren, to whom he is devoted; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this house request that he come back occasionally to visit and lighten our mood; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the speaker affirm that there are no negative votes on this memorial, because many of us know that Representative Saavedra is opposed to memorials and he might vote against it if there were a roll call; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members stand and give a heartfelt ovation to the man every member of this house has known as long as they've been here — except Representative Nick Salazar, who beat him here by a mere four years; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the Honorable Henry Kiki Saavedra with the gratitude and good wishes of all of the members of the house.

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