HOUSE MEMORIAL 104

52nd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2015

INTRODUCED BY

Bealquin Bill Gomez

A MEMORIAL

HONORING MIKE RUNNELS AND RECOGNIZING HIS OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO NEW MEXICO.

     WHEREAS, Mike Runnels, who served as New Mexico's lieutenant governor in the early 1980s and as a former district attorney, died in February 2015 at the age of sixty-nine; and

     WHEREAS, Mike grew up in Lovington, New Mexico, coming from a family with a long political history; Mike's father, Harold "Mud" Runnels, served as a state senator for twelve years before being elected to five terms as a United States congressman from the second district until his death in 1980; and

     WHEREAS, Mike moved to Santa Fe in the 1970s and was elected to the Santa Fe city council in 1976 for a four-year term and worked as the director for common cause New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, after Mike graduated from law school at the university of Texas, he was elected New Mexico's lieutenant governor on the same ticket with Governor Toney Anaya; and

     WHEREAS, Mike was instrumental in bringing the national main street program to New Mexico, persuading his colleagues in the legislature to establish this program and convincing Governor Anaya to allow him to sign the bill; and

     WHEREAS, to carry on his father's work, Mike ran two separate campaigns for his late father's congressional seat, and although they were unsuccessful, congress' loss was the thirteenth judicial district's gain, as he was elected district attorney and served two four-year terms from 1992 to 2000; and

     WHEREAS, Mike often expressed his enjoyment of public service, telling a reporter that "politics is often a pain, but having the chance to do something good in the public arena is real satisfying"; and

     WHEREAS, colleagues have described Mike as a dedicated public servant and remarked on his astute political mind, his wide-ranging interests, his collection of historical and political memorabilia and his keen intellect; and

     WHEREAS, Mike, a voracious reader, never lost his interest in state or national politics, daily reading at least five national newspapers, and he was never reluctant to participate in any political discussion, always making his position very clear; and

     WHEREAS, former Governor Anaya noted that Mike's parting was "way too soon" and that it should make everyone reflect on how fragile life is; and

     WHEREAS, Mike is survived by his ninety-two-year old mother, Dorothy Runnels; his sons, Joshua Runnels and Sean Runnels; his brothers, Phillip Runnels and Matthew Runnels; and his sister, Eydie Runnels;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that Mike Runnels be recognized and remembered for his outstanding service to the state; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to members of the Runnels family.

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