Dear Editor,
Bill Richardson came into the US Congress like a storm. At the time, I was the Executive Director of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC). He was elected to the Congressional class of 1982. That year the CHC grew from 5 members to a total of 12. The redistricting of 1980 and the growth of the national Hispanic population created the beginning of a new political force in American politics. Bill ran for the Chairmanship of the CHC and won in 1984.
I don’t know how he did it, but when Bill Richardson was a second term Representative in the US Congress, he talked Speaker of the House Tip O’Neil into a Congressional Delegation trip to fly the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to 8 Latin American countries and Puerto Rico in 14 days. He wanted to check on the emergence of democracies in the Southern Hemisphere and to deepen international relationships. In those days, chairing a Congressional delegation overseas trip was reserved for the Chairs of major committees. But you know Bill, he could woo a cat off a shrimp boat.
In 1984 Bill and I were both 32. Working with/for Bill was like working with/for your know- it- all brother.
I once prepared a press release for him and he said, “You call this a press release? I could write a better press release than this!
I said, “Go for it, you might give me a little more to work with.” When former staffers of Bill Richardson meet, they can tell stories for hours about his escapades. They meet, drink, talk, and laugh late into the night, each story outdoing the last.
The Congressional Delegation itinerary was Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and would end in Puerto Rico. This was in 1983 before the internet, fax machines, email etc. Bill had us load a large copy machine (about 6x8x4 ft) onto the aircraft so that staff could write press releases while in transit from one country to another. Every morning we landed in a new county and handed a new press release out to state department staff to distribute to the international press. So while the Congressmen and their wives were enjoying the food service and libations, staff were in the back of the plane churning out press releases. If you think staff was resentful of this work load, you would be wrong. We loved every minute and felt privileged to be working with/for Bill. He had the ability to make endless work fun, and somehow to help everyone thrive while doing so. Notice I say working with/for Bill, it was always a balance. He had the last word, but every staff member was an integral and appreciated part of the team, unless, of course, he was mad at you at the time.
It was an extraordinary trip. We met with the Presidents of every nation, we met with key leaders of the national legislatures we met with the opposing parties, and we met with the press.
Most of all, I remember Chile. President Augusto Pinochet was in power and it was a brutal dictatorship. He ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990. He led the Military Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981. Then was declared President of the Republic by the junta in 1974, becoming the de facto dictator of Chile. Thousands of Chilean citizens had been abducted and brutally tortured under his regime. We met with the “Mothers of the Disappeared” and countless leaders in the resistance. It was horrifying. I remember being escorted to the Chilean Center of Government, their Congressional Building. It had been shut down and was surrounded by an iron fence with Pinochet’s armed guards on patrol. It was really the saddest thing I had ever seen.
Bill had no problem in stating his opinion and condemning the Pinochet regime. He did it openly and held several press conferences a day. Our escort staff from the Chilean government were in constant turmoil and I heard more than I wanted to know after every press conference. The last meeting was with Pinochet. To say that Pinochet was furious would be the ultimate understatement. Frankly, I was worried that we would join the “disappeared”. I know that was an overreaction on my part, but the fear was palatable. I had the plane waiting on the runway at the airport so that when the delegation left the meeting with Pinochet we would get out of Chile immediately.
As a 30-year old freshman representative, Bill was a visionary. He had a sense of his own worth and his ability to help navigate the political discourse of his time. He never lost that. He went on to be the United Nations Ambassador, Secretary of Energy, Governor, and international statesman.
Bill believed in Democracy and worked every day of his life to support a higher cause. He also understood how fragile democracy is.
Today my saddest memory is the Trump-led Americans storming our Capitol on January 6, 2020. I happened to be home that day, and by chance, turned on the news and sat there stunned watching the events unfold. I turned off the TV after the final vote to ratify the election. What happened in Chile almost happened here.
We stand at a pivotal point in our democracy. To think that some people still believe that the 2020 election was stolen after 61 court decisions upholding Biden’s win is incomprehensible. Do not take Democracy and the Rule of Law for granted. Each of us has to do our part to keep our Democracy alive and free.
I decided to run for office the morning that Trump won. I knew we would need strong Democratic state legislatures to offset the coming storm in DC. So at the age of 70, I picked up the torch in 2018, ran for state office and won. Winning an election is hard, but as a third term legislator, I’m learning that governing is much harder. I’ve had Bill Richardson’s good examples to follow: Congressman, Ambassador to the United Nations, Secretary of Energy, Governor of New Mexico, International Statesman. Bill Richardson is one of my favorites. He was loved dearly and he will be missed.
Susan Herrera
(Herrera is a Democratic member of the NM House of Representatives representing the counties of Rio Arriba, Taos, Santa Fe and Sandoval. She chairs the House Committee on Agriculture, Acequias and Natural Resources.)