The power of one
By Jayne M. Iafrate
It's the last week of July—just days before the Democrats throw their big shindig in Boston's Fleet Center—and the Ritz-Carlton is crawling with political glitterati. Kerry adviser and CNN pundit James Carville sits at the bottom of the main staircase, secretively hunched over a cell phone. Other political operatives, outed by their bleating BlackBerry devices, occupy nearly every square inch of the normally placid lobby.
Barbara Richardson, wife of Democratic National Convention Chairman and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, is an island of calm, despite the requisite bodyguards. Just hours before she launches herself into the full schedule of pre-convention meetings and receptions, she finds the time to stroll through Boston's Public Garden and discuss her life in politics.
As the soft-spoken spouse of one of America's most high-profile political figures, Richardson has traveled this path before. From Congress and the United Nations to Bill Clinton's White House, she remained on the sidelines and worked chiefly as her husband's supporter. Today, as the first lady of New Mexico, Barbara Richardson is squarely in the spotlight herself, taking her 22 years of experience in politics and putting it to work for the people of New Mexico.
"In just a few weeks in the New Mexico statehouse, I learned that I can make an impact," Richardson explained. "I can make a difference."
Before she and Bill Richardson even entered the statehouse in Santa Fe, Barbara Richardson let New Mexicans know that her tenure as first lady was going to be one of action. Shortly after the 2002 election, she called Agnes Maldonado, director of the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
"We were thrilled when she called us. It's really exciting," Maldonado told a local newspaper at the time. "Political figures haven't always taken on this issue. When someone who is married to the governor starts talking about it, it can make a huge difference."
Maldonado's assessment of Richardson's impact is no understatement. For years New Mexico has had gaps in services for victims and perpetrators of domestic violence and a lack of communication and cooperation among agencies, according to a 2004 report released by the state's Domestic Violence Advisory Board. In 2003 more than 25,600 cases of domestic violence were reported to law enforcement officers in New Mexico. But officials said many cases go unreported. Richardson called the statistics "truly disturbing," adding that domestic violence and its effects could no longer go "unnoticed and untreated."
Richardson's interest in domestic violence was nurtured in the Psychology Department of Wheaton, she recalled. A magna cum laude graduate in 1971 and the wife of high school sweetheart Bill in 1972, she understood early on that some part of her life would be lived in the public eye and that her influence could change people's lives for the better.
Just two months into the Richardson administration, New Mexico officials announced the creation of a domestic violence task force, of which Barbara Richardson is a member. Two months later, the governor created a Domestic Violence Control Commission and named his wife as the chair. In 2004, Gov. Richardson appointed Sandra Gardner as domestic violence "czar" and proposed law changes, including new and tougher penalties for offenders, expanded treatment for offenders and more resources for victims.
"This is the first lady's cause, but this is a statewide priority," he said.
During the past two years, several domestic violence shelters have opened in areas that previously couldn't adequately assist victims, and Barbara Richardson has visited nearly every one of them. Last October, when she presided over the opening of a shelter in rural Colfax County, she spoke about her conflicted emotions regarding this important work.
"We're taking the first step in breaking the cycle of violence that traps so many of these victims," she said. "This is an historic day for northeastern New Mexico. But it's also a bittersweet day. We finally have a shelter like this in Colfax County, but we also regret that there is such a critical need for it."
Richardson also learned early on that New Mexico's dismal track record on childhood immunizations—at that time the state ranked last in the nation in full immunizations at 63.2 percent—demanded immediate attention. The existing problem, according to Richardson, was less of an issue of funding-state and federal programs facilitate free immunizations—and more closely linked to education and access for underserved populations.
"New Mexico is a rural state; we have a diverse population that's spread over a wide area," Richardson explained. "Getting the message out was a challenge."
To combat that challenge, the Richardsons formed the New Mexico Immunizations Coalition in April 2003. With Barbara Richardson again serving as the chair, the coalition of doctors and state officials created a registry that all medical providers can check to see which immunizations children need, as well as a color-coded schedule with baby pictures indicating the appropriate ages for vaccines to help parents track their children's care. The coalition has also stepped up its expectations, asking parents to make sure their children receive these shots by age 1 instead of 2, as the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends. The goal is to immunize 90 percent of New Mexico's children by 2010.
Although the initiatives of the coalition are less than two years old, results have been more than encouraging. In 2004, New Mexico rose from 50th to 43rd nationwide in early childhood immunizations, with 71 percent getting the full range of vaccinations before the age of 2.
"When you get out there, you can see what disease does to people," Richardson said. "Some issues I choose, and some issues choose me. This has been an issue where I can help bring together people and resources, to raise awareness of the ways we can help."
One of Richardson's most visible programs has been her work to boost literacy across New Mexico. In a border state that relies heavily on seasonal workers for whom English is a second language, one in four people don't have a high school diploma, and access to reading programs and language are two of the biggest hurdles to overcome.
As the New Mexico chairperson of Read Across America, Richardson has spent a good portion of her tenure as first lady facilitating the donation of books to schools and libraries across the state.
"Reading is the foundation upon which all else is built," she said to the students of Ramirez Thomas Elementary School last year while taking part in the Scholastic Read for 2004 and overseeing the donation of 500 books to the new school. "Books are the keys that open the doors to limitless horizons."
While in Boston last summer for the DNC, Richardson found the time to promote a book-collection program at Northeastern University that gave 2,500 books to Boston Public School students. Among the donations she has helped acquire for New Mexico's children is a 16,000-text gift from the Mexican Consulate. Several groups have honored her for this work.
"Literacy in New Mexico is a huge issue; it affects our workforce, our economy," she said. "A skilled workforce is the first thing a company would look at to relocate to New Mexico."
Richardson also has been very active in the hands-on work of bringing literacy to young and old in her adopted state. She's visited schools and libraries, talked with children and teachers, and read on several reading tours throughout the state. And with her guidance, the governor has advocated for a series of early childhood learning programs, such as expanded preschool and truancy prevention.
Despite Barbara Richardson's best attempts, her husband and her position conspire to keep her front and center in New Mexico and national political life. Just before Bill Richardson was sworn in as governor in 2003, a reporter asked her about media reports speculating that the governor would run for president in 2008.
"I'll tell you what I tell him," she said. "'That's another life and another wife.' Honest to God. Not my bag. It's just not something that I even want to contemplate."
Instead, Richardson is content to make the widest impact she can for the people of New Mexico, finding time every once in a while for her other loves: gardening, art and antiques. Unlike her "Energizer Bunny" husband, she enjoys a break now and then.
"I have to find my quiet time," she said. "You can only do all this for so long."
