ABQ mayor, city council battle over budget

ALBUQUERQUE S MAYOR TANGLES WITH CITY COUNCILORS IN A BUDGET BATTLE OVER HIGH-DOLLAR CITY CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS STUART DYSON IS LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM WITH LATE-BREAKING DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CITY HALL MONEY SQUABBLE IT S ALL ABOUT SOMETHING CALLED THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BUDGET - A WHOPPING 160 MILLION DOLLARS OR SO OF TAXPAYERS MONEY THAT GOES TO THINGS LIKE SOCCER FIELDS AND PARKS AND SWIMMING POOLS GROUND ZERO IN THIS FIGHT IS TINGLEY BEACH AND THE MAYOR S WISH FOR A SIX-AND-A- HALF MILLION DOLLAR SWIMMING POOL AT TINGLEY BEACH - A MAJORITY ON THE CITY COUNCIL TORE IT OUT OF THE CAPITAL BUDGET ALONG WITH A WEST SIDE SOCCER COMPLEX - TROUBLE IS THEY DIDN T DO IT WITHIN SIXTY DAYS OF GETTING THE BUDGET PROPOSAL FROM THE MAYOR - SO HE SAYS HIS ORIGINAL BUDGET STANDS - INVITING THE COUNCIL TO COMPROMISE ON WHAT PROJECTS GET FUNDED I don t think it was intended by anybody but I think it s something that absolutely has to be resolved and that s what our intention is to resolve it - we re in a recession - we absolutely need to have a capital program cause that employs people throughout the city I see this as just a blatant grab for power by the mayor - he wants to the mayor and he wants to be the city council - he wants to write the budget and he wants to execute the budget COUNCILORS SAY THEY LL LOOK AT THEIR OPTIONS - INCLUDING A LEGAL BATTLE TO KEEP THE CAPITAL BUDGET THE WAY THEY WANT IT - WITHOUT THE TINGLEY PROJECT AND THE SOCCER COMPLEX - THE CITY ATTORNEY IS BACKING THE MAYOR IN THIS DISPUTE - IN NEWSROOM STUART DYSON EYEWITNESS NEWS FOUR