Font ResizeSANTA FE - The future of Spaceport America should be in private funding, not solely a reliance on taxpayers, Gov. Susana Martinez said Wednesday in appointing seven people to oversee its operations.
"New Mexico's taxpayers have made a significant investment in the Spaceport project. It's time to see the project through to completion by bringing in private funding," she said.
Spaceport America, a $209 million public venture in Sierra County, was pushed by Martinez's predecessor, Democrat Bill Richardson. He envisioned it as a magnet for wealthy tourists eager to try space travel.
Martinez, a Republican, removed the entire Spaceport board after taking office last month. But her appointments Wednesday included two holdovers from the old board.
One is Ben Woods, Democrat, a vice president at New Mexico State University. He previously chaired the Spaceport board. Another of her picks, Jerry Stagner, Republican, also served on the board. He is president of Citizens Bank in Truth or Consequences.
For her chairman, Martinez chose Richard Holdridge, Republican, a retired Air Force officer from Deming. He holds a doctorate in astronautical engineering from Stanford. He had a stint on the first-ever spaceport board.
Martinez's other appointees are:
• David Buchholtz, Democrat, an attorney from Albuquerque.
• Scott Krahling, Democrat, a marketing consultant from Las Cruces and a Do-a Ana County commissioner.
• Irvin Diamond, Republican, a certified
• Sid Gutierrez, Republican, a former NASA astronaut, who serves as chief of safety for Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque. Gutierrez piloted the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1991 and served as mission commander for the Space Shuttle Endeavor in 1994.
All must be confirmed by the Senate, said Martinez spokesman Scott Darnell. State law requires that the board be comprised of no more than four people from any one political party, according to Darnell.
The board oversees the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, which has been without an executive director since Martinez forced the resignation of former Director Rick Homans in early January.
Homans, when he resigned, said he was concerned Martinez had not vocally expressed strong support for the spaceport project. Wednesday, he said that remains a problem, but he believes the new appointments are a "step in the right direction."
"It's a good, diverse group that has institutional knowledge of the spaceport, and, from what I know of them, support the project," he said.
Homans noted that three of the appointees were also board members under Richardson.
Hatch Mayor Judd Nordyke, a spaceport proponent, said he's familiar with Woods from his previous tenure on the spaceport board, as well as his work with NMSU's community colleges. Nordyke said he was pleased to hear about the reappointment.
"I find that he's a very conscientious member," he said. "I'm sure Scott (Krahling) will be, too."
Nordyke said he'd recommended Jim Hayhoe, the village's spaceport consultant, for consideration and is disappointed he wasn't selected.
Krahling said he hadn't sought a spot on the board, but the governor's search committee contacted him, asking if he was interested. After a round of interviews, he was selected.
"I hope what the board will be doing is taking a fresh look at the project, seeing what we've done that has been good so far and seeing how we can move forward in the most productive way to make sure the taxpayers get the most bang for their buck," he said.
Krahling said he's not sure how quickly the new board will meet but he's guessing it will happen soon. The first item of business is hiring a new director, he said.
Martinez last month also appointed Gutierrez to serve on a team that would evaluate the Spaceport's finances and readiness for business. Darnell, said the advisory board had been dissolved, its work completed.
"Their primary function, in fact, was to help make recommendations on appointees to the Spaceport board and the position of executive director," Darnell said. "They will not issue a formal report."
He said the job of reviewing the Spaceport's operations, contracts and finances now would be taken up by Martinez's seven appointees.
In calling for the Spaceport to seek private financial support, Martinez said she believed it could be an asset if managed correctly.
"With the right leadership and the right approach, the Spaceport can be a successful venture that brings jobs to New Mexico," Martinez said.
Homans said questions remain about the specifics of Martinez's proposal.
"But the first step in answering that is to put a board in place," he said.
Martinez said all the appointees had agreed to refrain from doing business with the Spaceport for two years after leaving the board.
Krahling currently sits on the spaceport tax district board, a body that oversees spending of special sales spaceport tax dollars from Sierra and Do-a Ana counties. He said he'll resign that position in light of the recent appointment.
Spaceport America is a proposed launch site for commercial space vehicles that's being built in southeastern Sierra County.
Sun-News reporter Diana M. Alba contributed to this report.
Santa Fe Bureau Chief Milan Simonich can be reached at msimonich@tnmnp.com or (505) 820-6898. His blog is at http://elpasotimes.typepad.com/newmexico.
