Richardson: Secretary of Commerce?

The buzz on the blogs and on the hill is that Gov. Bill Richardson will become the new Secretary of Commerce in the Obama Administration.  The first high-profile Latino to be leaked as a potential executive in the new administration, President-elect Obama and his transition team are putting together the political equivalent of the gold medal winning "Redeem Team."  Next up---Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as Secretary of State.   

Now, the Secretary of Commerce post is largely viewed as a second-tier appointment typically reserved for generous campaign donors from the business community.  Until I saw the job description on CNN, I really had no clue what the job entails.  The day-to-day rigors aside, in Bill Richardson the Obama Administration will get a seasoned administrator with foreign policy and economic development chops that should prove to be beneficial in promoting international trade.  

What's next for New Mexico?  If this speculation about Richardson is true, Lt. Governor Diane Denish is more than prepared to take the reins of executive leadership in the state.  Lt. Governor Denish has been an absolute gem to the youth development community championing early childhood education, service and volunteerism, affordable and accessible health care for all and workforce development through her leadership as head of the New Mexico Children's Cabinet.  While Richardson has been knee deep in national politics, Denish has been the steady hand at the wheel of state politics for the last year and a half.  The transition to a Gov. Denish administration should be relatively smooth.  

It will be interesting to see the sequencing of events if Gov. Richardson formally gets offered the job early next week.  According to CNN, some of the Obama cabinet appointments could take as long as May 2009 to confirm.  With that timeline, who will oversee the New Mexico State Legislative Session that will begin in late January?  If Gov. Richardson accepts the offer and assuming that he gets through the rigorous vetting process, will he resign as Governor early to ensure a smooth transition to a Denish administration?  

This domino effect currently leaves our state with more questions than answers.  But the excitement in the building of the "Redeem Team" and the hope of a new leader in state politics that cares about our greatest assets--our youth make the anticipation almost unbearable.