To contact Capitol Reporter Rob Nikolewski: rnikolewski@gmail.com.

Or feel free to use our “Tips” link you’ll find on the tool bar on the home page.

After being originally funded by The Rio Grande Foundation, New Mexico Watchdog is a project of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity. Through New Mexico Watchdog we hope to better inform the citizens of New Mexico how their state and local governments work and how their money is being spent. We welcome tips about government waste, fraud, abuse and corruption, regardless of the political affiliation of the politician or official involved.

You can catch Rob Nikolewski on News New Mexico every week.  Rob appears every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8 a.m.  News New Mexico may be heard on the following stations:

Las Cruces KSNM 570AM (live streaming over the Internet)

Carlsbad KATK 740AM

Artesia KSVP 990AM

Clayton KLMX 1450AM

Alamogordo KINN 1270AM

The Santa Fe New Mexican runs a column by Rob once a month, or every four weeks in rotation with other journalists.

Rob Nikolewski, Editor in Chief, Capitol Report New Mexico. A three-time Emmy Award-winning television anchor and reporter, Rob has shifted his focus from TV to the Internet, covering public policy, economics and New Mexico politics directly from his office in the media room at the Roundhouse.

A holder of a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, and a master’s degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, Nikolewski earned a master’s in public administration from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University in New York City in 2008.

During his television career, Nikolewski focused on sports, where he covered such events as the World Series, the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the NCAA Final Four and wrote a weekly column for www.msnbc.com. He has worked in such TV markets as New York, Boston, Pittsburgh and Reno, where he was named the Nevada Sportscaster of the Year twice. During Rob’s stint in Pittsburgh, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described him as “the best sports anchor in this market.”

Nikolewski has also worked for international public relations, corporate strategy and communications companies as a speechwriter, copy editor and opinions writer. He edited and helped write an op-ed piece about African peace-making by Romano Prodi, the former Prime Minister of Italy, that was published in The Washington Times and wrote a speech for the CEO of the largest energy company in Scandinavia in the run-up to the Copenhagen climate summit. In May of 2010, Rob moved to Santa Fe, where he lives with his golden retriever, Willow, who is a registered independent.

Jim Scarantino, former Investigative Reporter, New Mexico Watchdog. In January of 2013, Jim stepped down as investigative reporter to finish a novel he”s been working on after turning in a slew of stories for New Mexico Watchdog that have drawn statewide and national recognition.
Jim is a magna cum laude graduate of the The University of Pennsylvania Law School and Penn State University. As a young lawyer in Philadelphia, he clerked for the Chief Judge of U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the late Edward R. Becker. He then prosecuted child abuse and investigated organized crime and political corruption as an assistant district attorney in the office of Ed Rendell,

Jim moved to New Mexico in 1984 and rose to partner in one of the state’s leading firms before establishing his solo practice in 1991. Jim has represented Fortune 500 companies, Native American religious activists, ranchers, gold miners, hunting guides, LA gang members, illegal immigrants and, in particular, small businesses and individuals fighting government oppression. In 2006 Jim closed his practice, going out as the ACLU of New Mexico‘s Attorney of the Year.

Jim has been a Democrat and a Republican. He worked for U.S. Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania in his successful first run for the  Senate. Jim was an advance man for the great Bob Casey, Pennsylvania’s most popular governor. In New Mexico he worked on the campaigns of Democratic and Republican candidates for state and local offices. He was persuaded to become a registered Republican by the gubernatorial campaign of Gary Johnson, “America’s Most Dangerous Politician.” In 2000, Jim co-chaired the McCain for President effort in New Mexico.  Since then, he has continued to support the person he believes is the best candidate for the office, and reserves the right to register with either party to support the best person in a party primary.  Jim currently has no party affiliation.

Jim for three years wrote a column for Albuquerque’s alternative news-weekly, The Weekly Alibi.   He was named one of the nation’s best political columnists by the American Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. In 2008-09, Jim wrote a bi-weekly column on the op-ed pages of The Albuquerque Journal. He surrendered that honor to begin this website.

Jim has had his own or co-hosted talk radio programs on AM 1550 KIVA and FM 106.3 KAGM. His op-eds have been published in over fifty major newspapers around the nation.  He was a regular panelist on KNME-TV’s public affairs program, “In Focus” until September 2010 when he took a long break  to tour Europe, walk across England, write a novel, sing in an opera and hike America’s mountains.

(Photos courtesy of Mark Bralley)