Listen to what politicians say to Jim Spiri
An American Freelance Journalist
Using His First Amendment Rights!
"What New Mexico Needs To Know About Alan Webber"
Website © 2012 JimSpiri.com, All Rights Reserved
The Rich White Guy and The Dead Girl in Oregon
By Jim Spiri
April 25, 2014…Albuquerque, New
Mexico….This is an election year in
New Mexico. The race for Governor
has begun to heat up. I’ve been
following the candidates for several
months. One candidate in particular
has caught my attention. So much so
that I decided to sift through a few
trees to see if indeed I was in a forest.
What I’ve found is simply astounding.
For the record, let me just say that I am
in no way accusing anyone of
anything. What follows is strictly
what I’ve found out in doing research
and hanging around. Hang on folks, it
gets disgusting.
This is my experience and my
experience only regarding a person
named Alan Webber who currently
resides in Santa Fe and has been for the
past decade or so. Mr. Webber is running for Governor of New Mexico as a democrat. He
has four other opponents in the upcoming democratic primary. All sides agree that Mr.
Webber is a serious contender. Whether that is because of his qualifications or his personal
wealth, is yet to be determined. But Webber is on the campaign trail and I’ve been on his
heels for quite some time now.
Alan Webber, 65, moved to New Mexico from Boston, Massachusetts in 2003. He sold an on-
line magazine for approximately $365-MILLION dollars and then decided to retire in Santa
Fe. Ten years later, he suddenly decides to run for Governor. Now that in itself may not be
so alarming to the average New Mexican, however, once a person begins to “cut down a few
trees…the forest begins to appear”. I think Webber, AND some of his friends have been
planning this move for quite some time now.
Friends. My mother always told me this; “birds of a feather flock together”. Mr. Webber
has a long resume. The part that has come to interest me is the earlier part of his career that
landed him in Oregon. In 1972, a person named Neil Goldschmidt became the youngest
person at 32, to be elected mayor of a major metropolitan city. (Portland, Oregon). Alan
Webber was Neil Goldschmidt’s policy advisor and speech writer. This put Webber in the
center of the very inner circle of the Goldschmidt administration. Some have said that there
was no one closer to Neil Goldschmidt than Alan Webber at the time.
In the latter 70’s and early 80’s, I happened to live in Portland, Oregon. I remember
Goldschmidt as Mayor of Portland and then later becoming the Secretary of Transportation
under former President Jimmy Carter. Webber followed Goldschmidt to Washington DC,
because Webber was very, very, very close to Goldschmidt. Both had hit the big time, early
in their careers. But, unbeknownst to most folks, there was a big, dark secret no one was
wanting to share.
When I met Webber earlier this year, I heard him mention on several occasions that he
worked for the former Mayor of Portland and the former Secretary of Transportation. I
also noticed that he never seemed to mention this person by name. Remember, “birds of a
feather”.
Now Webber, Goldschmidt and a few other of their compadres were all members of the same
age group, the same so-called forward thinking progressives, and all came from similar
religious backgrounds. Many had similar degrees in college relating to journalism and
media services which later on in life landed all of them into very lucrative professions as the
“click” moved on in life.
In 1987, Goldschmidt was elected Governor of Oregon and remained one four year term. By
this time, Webber had moved on to other things but stayed in close contact with the “click”
from Oregon. Right about the time Alan Webber moved to New Mexico a huge story was
breaking about former Governor of Oregon, Neil Goldschmidt, who, happened to be one of
Alan Webber’s very, very, very good friends and very close confidants. Shortly after
Webber came to New Mexico, Goldschmidt is rumored to have come to New Mexico to stay
with Webber to “weather out the storm” that was about to or just had hit the fan.
This is the part where the readers must hold on to their stomachs and try not to get too sick.
But, it is the part that must be told to New Mexicans who are considering voting for Alan
Webber for Governor. Hang on.
Beginning in 1973, while Alan Webber was one of the closest of confidants to Mayor Neil
Goldschmidt, Goldschmidt began carrying on a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl
named Elizabeth Lynn Dunham. Dunham’s mother, Pam, was a staffer for Mayor
Goldschmidt. The relationship lasted, according to differing accounts, until Elizabeth
Dunham was 27-years-old. This would have been from 1973-approximately 1987. Alan
Webber was pretty much Goldschmidt’s right hand man from approximately 1972-1981.
The story about the fall of Neil Goldschmidt broke in the early part of 2004 by a newspaper
called “Willamette Week” which happened to be run by a college buddy of Alan Webber’s
named Richard Meeker, whom I have spoken to over the phone lately. The author of the
story (Nigel Jaquiss) won a Pulitzer prize for the story. I have also spoken to Jaquiss lately
over the phone. As the story gained momentum, the truth about events that had transpired
between 1973-1987 had been narrowed down to this…Neil Goldschmidt, who at one time was
Mayor of Portland, Secretary of Transportation of the United States, and later Governor of
Oregon and Alan Webber’s very, very close friend, had been raping Elizabeth Lynn Dunham
while Alan Webber and others were busy building their political careers hanging onto the
coattails of Neil Goldschmidt the rapist.
Now, at this point, let me be very clear about something. I am not saying that Goldschmidt’s
crimes belong to Alan Webber. Quite the contrary. However, in many other subsequent
phone conversations with some of those that were present in the Goldschmidt
administration(s) it was relayed to me that it is extremely difficult to believe that Webber
and others did not know what was going on or at the very least were somewhat aware of
Goldschmidt’s illicit activities. In pouring over hundreds of pages of reports which are
readily accessible to those that wish to do the research, it is more than obvious that some in
the “inner circle of Goldschmidt’s sphere” had to be at the very least, suspicious of things
when on numerous occasions Goldschmidt would just disappear and end up at the Hilton
Hotel in Portland having sex with an underage teenage girl named Elizabeth Lynn Dunham
in the middle of the work day.
Flashing forward to today’s current events …Webber is quick to point out that his resume
includes time in Oregon and that great things were done while he was Goldschmidt’s close
friend and helper. But, when confronted with questions about the rape of Elizabeth Lynn
Dunham over the course of many years, Webber’s staff, Webber’s wife and even Webber
himself refuse to answer the “hard questions” about who knew what and when. All this
while at the same time, I have listened to Webber on many, many occasions tell audiences
that he is an adamant supporter of women’s rights, children’s rights and the rights of the
abused children who cannot help themselves. He has said on more than one occasion that it
is the responsibility of state government and those who work for it, to step up to the plate
and take on the hard questions and issues that confront us all.
Webber also speaks often on the matter of transparency. The problem I have with this point
is that in the matter of the rape of Elizabeth Lynn Dunham by Neil Goldschmidt while Alan
Webber was in the innermost circle of trust under Goldschmidt, transparency in this matter
is rather elusive. Webber refuses to speak to me about this matter of what he knew and
when he knew it. Rather, he directs his female campaign manager, Neri Holguin, who was
an infant (which I verified her age by asking her how old she is on April 25, 2014) when
Elizabeth Lynn Dunham was being raped by Webber’s good friend, to issue a generic
statement addressing nothing. What is also disgusting is that Webber penned an article in
2008 excusing Goldschmidt’s rape as some kind of self deterioration method due to
Goldschmidt’s rapid rise to fame. It is nothing more than some kind of psycho babble mixed
with cloaked excuses for Webber’s good friend, Neil Goldschmidt.
In further research, I ended up asking one of the folks that worked with Alan Webber in the
same capacity later on as a speech writer. His name is Fred Leonhardt and I spoke with him
on the phone as well. Leonhardt was very forthcoming not with just me, but with all those
who investigated the scandal from the get-go. Leonhardt told me what all the others I asked
told me about whether Webber knew what was going on or not. “There is no evidence at the
moment that proves that Webber knew what was going on”, he told me. However, he also
told me about a conversation that he had with Elizabeth Lynn Dunham before she died in
2011 from what appears to have been a life riddled with self esteem issues and alcohol abuse.
Leonhardt told me that Dunham said “Webber probably knew what was going on”.
In conclusion, the reason I have written this article is that a lot of people across New Mexico
are being persuaded by Alan Webber’s “talks” as he criss-crosses the state seeking support
and putting on the façade of raising money for his campaign. Many of Webber’s
contributors are wealthy folks from around the country who know Webber and the amount
of money that he is connected to. When Webber refused to speak with me about this issue,
after having followed him for the past five months on the campaign trail, I felt it my
responsibility to speak up to what I know and what I don’t know.
What I know is that Alan Webber is a very, very wealthy man who mixed with a lot of very,
very, very rich folks from Oregon and all of a sudden (supposedly) wants to be Governor of
New Mexico. Webber speaks of transparency but is non-transparent on the most important
issue facing him for the past 40-years. The rape and subsequent early death of Elizabeth
Lynn Dunham of Portland, Oregon. What I don’t know is exactly why Alan Webber won’t sit
down with me and answer the hard questions that no one in Oregon was willing or able to
ask. What did Alan Webber know about a female named Elizabeth Lynn Dunham and when
did he know it? Or better yet, when did he suspect something was not so kosher with his
very, very good friend, admitted rapist, Neil Goldschmidt.
It should be noted that all of what came out about Goldschmidt came out after the statute of
limitations had expired concerning the rape of Elizabeth Lynn Dunham. No one can be
legally held accountable anymore. But, that does not mean the hard questions can’t be
asked. That’s the one thing on the campaign trail that hasn’t evaporated away, yet. Mr.
Alan Webber may spend hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money sweet talking
the simple minded folks of New Mexico into believing he’s a good guy. I for one only want
one question answered. And that question is not being answered by Alan Webber to me as of
this writing.
At a campaign event in Albuquerque, I remember hearing Mr. Webber reply to a question I
asked about his wealth and his ethnicity and his chances at becoming Governor of New
Mexico. He replied, “I’m a rich white guy and proud of it”.
My advice to Mr. Webber….take your money and go away. Mr. Webber told me when I first
met him over the phone many months ago that “he was not afraid to speak with the media”.
He seems pretty scared to speak with me all of a sudden.
I am beginning to think I am in a forest and that birds of a feather do indeed flock together.
Mexico….This is an election year in
New Mexico. The race for Governor
has begun to heat up. I’ve been
following the candidates for several
months. One candidate in particular
has caught my attention. So much so
that I decided to sift through a few
trees to see if indeed I was in a forest.
What I’ve found is simply astounding.
For the record, let me just say that I am
in no way accusing anyone of
anything. What follows is strictly
what I’ve found out in doing research
and hanging around. Hang on folks, it
gets disgusting.
This is my experience and my
experience only regarding a person
named Alan Webber who currently
resides in Santa Fe and has been for the
past decade or so. Mr. Webber is running for Governor of New Mexico as a democrat. He
has four other opponents in the upcoming democratic primary. All sides agree that Mr.
Webber is a serious contender. Whether that is because of his qualifications or his personal
wealth, is yet to be determined. But Webber is on the campaign trail and I’ve been on his
heels for quite some time now.
Alan Webber, 65, moved to New Mexico from Boston, Massachusetts in 2003. He sold an on-
line magazine for approximately $365-MILLION dollars and then decided to retire in Santa
Fe. Ten years later, he suddenly decides to run for Governor. Now that in itself may not be
so alarming to the average New Mexican, however, once a person begins to “cut down a few
trees…the forest begins to appear”. I think Webber, AND some of his friends have been
planning this move for quite some time now.
Friends. My mother always told me this; “birds of a feather flock together”. Mr. Webber
has a long resume. The part that has come to interest me is the earlier part of his career that
landed him in Oregon. In 1972, a person named Neil Goldschmidt became the youngest
person at 32, to be elected mayor of a major metropolitan city. (Portland, Oregon). Alan
Webber was Neil Goldschmidt’s policy advisor and speech writer. This put Webber in the
center of the very inner circle of the Goldschmidt administration. Some have said that there
was no one closer to Neil Goldschmidt than Alan Webber at the time.
In the latter 70’s and early 80’s, I happened to live in Portland, Oregon. I remember
Goldschmidt as Mayor of Portland and then later becoming the Secretary of Transportation
under former President Jimmy Carter. Webber followed Goldschmidt to Washington DC,
because Webber was very, very, very close to Goldschmidt. Both had hit the big time, early
in their careers. But, unbeknownst to most folks, there was a big, dark secret no one was
wanting to share.
When I met Webber earlier this year, I heard him mention on several occasions that he
worked for the former Mayor of Portland and the former Secretary of Transportation. I
also noticed that he never seemed to mention this person by name. Remember, “birds of a
feather”.
Now Webber, Goldschmidt and a few other of their compadres were all members of the same
age group, the same so-called forward thinking progressives, and all came from similar
religious backgrounds. Many had similar degrees in college relating to journalism and
media services which later on in life landed all of them into very lucrative professions as the
“click” moved on in life.
In 1987, Goldschmidt was elected Governor of Oregon and remained one four year term. By
this time, Webber had moved on to other things but stayed in close contact with the “click”
from Oregon. Right about the time Alan Webber moved to New Mexico a huge story was
breaking about former Governor of Oregon, Neil Goldschmidt, who, happened to be one of
Alan Webber’s very, very, very good friends and very close confidants. Shortly after
Webber came to New Mexico, Goldschmidt is rumored to have come to New Mexico to stay
with Webber to “weather out the storm” that was about to or just had hit the fan.
This is the part where the readers must hold on to their stomachs and try not to get too sick.
But, it is the part that must be told to New Mexicans who are considering voting for Alan
Webber for Governor. Hang on.
Beginning in 1973, while Alan Webber was one of the closest of confidants to Mayor Neil
Goldschmidt, Goldschmidt began carrying on a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl
named Elizabeth Lynn Dunham. Dunham’s mother, Pam, was a staffer for Mayor
Goldschmidt. The relationship lasted, according to differing accounts, until Elizabeth
Dunham was 27-years-old. This would have been from 1973-approximately 1987. Alan
Webber was pretty much Goldschmidt’s right hand man from approximately 1972-1981.
The story about the fall of Neil Goldschmidt broke in the early part of 2004 by a newspaper
called “Willamette Week” which happened to be run by a college buddy of Alan Webber’s
named Richard Meeker, whom I have spoken to over the phone lately. The author of the
story (Nigel Jaquiss) won a Pulitzer prize for the story. I have also spoken to Jaquiss lately
over the phone. As the story gained momentum, the truth about events that had transpired
between 1973-1987 had been narrowed down to this…Neil Goldschmidt, who at one time was
Mayor of Portland, Secretary of Transportation of the United States, and later Governor of
Oregon and Alan Webber’s very, very close friend, had been raping Elizabeth Lynn Dunham
while Alan Webber and others were busy building their political careers hanging onto the
coattails of Neil Goldschmidt the rapist.
Now, at this point, let me be very clear about something. I am not saying that Goldschmidt’s
crimes belong to Alan Webber. Quite the contrary. However, in many other subsequent
phone conversations with some of those that were present in the Goldschmidt
administration(s) it was relayed to me that it is extremely difficult to believe that Webber
and others did not know what was going on or at the very least were somewhat aware of
Goldschmidt’s illicit activities. In pouring over hundreds of pages of reports which are
readily accessible to those that wish to do the research, it is more than obvious that some in
the “inner circle of Goldschmidt’s sphere” had to be at the very least, suspicious of things
when on numerous occasions Goldschmidt would just disappear and end up at the Hilton
Hotel in Portland having sex with an underage teenage girl named Elizabeth Lynn Dunham
in the middle of the work day.
Flashing forward to today’s current events …Webber is quick to point out that his resume
includes time in Oregon and that great things were done while he was Goldschmidt’s close
friend and helper. But, when confronted with questions about the rape of Elizabeth Lynn
Dunham over the course of many years, Webber’s staff, Webber’s wife and even Webber
himself refuse to answer the “hard questions” about who knew what and when. All this
while at the same time, I have listened to Webber on many, many occasions tell audiences
that he is an adamant supporter of women’s rights, children’s rights and the rights of the
abused children who cannot help themselves. He has said on more than one occasion that it
is the responsibility of state government and those who work for it, to step up to the plate
and take on the hard questions and issues that confront us all.
Webber also speaks often on the matter of transparency. The problem I have with this point
is that in the matter of the rape of Elizabeth Lynn Dunham by Neil Goldschmidt while Alan
Webber was in the innermost circle of trust under Goldschmidt, transparency in this matter
is rather elusive. Webber refuses to speak to me about this matter of what he knew and
when he knew it. Rather, he directs his female campaign manager, Neri Holguin, who was
an infant (which I verified her age by asking her how old she is on April 25, 2014) when
Elizabeth Lynn Dunham was being raped by Webber’s good friend, to issue a generic
statement addressing nothing. What is also disgusting is that Webber penned an article in
2008 excusing Goldschmidt’s rape as some kind of self deterioration method due to
Goldschmidt’s rapid rise to fame. It is nothing more than some kind of psycho babble mixed
with cloaked excuses for Webber’s good friend, Neil Goldschmidt.
In further research, I ended up asking one of the folks that worked with Alan Webber in the
same capacity later on as a speech writer. His name is Fred Leonhardt and I spoke with him
on the phone as well. Leonhardt was very forthcoming not with just me, but with all those
who investigated the scandal from the get-go. Leonhardt told me what all the others I asked
told me about whether Webber knew what was going on or not. “There is no evidence at the
moment that proves that Webber knew what was going on”, he told me. However, he also
told me about a conversation that he had with Elizabeth Lynn Dunham before she died in
2011 from what appears to have been a life riddled with self esteem issues and alcohol abuse.
Leonhardt told me that Dunham said “Webber probably knew what was going on”.
In conclusion, the reason I have written this article is that a lot of people across New Mexico
are being persuaded by Alan Webber’s “talks” as he criss-crosses the state seeking support
and putting on the façade of raising money for his campaign. Many of Webber’s
contributors are wealthy folks from around the country who know Webber and the amount
of money that he is connected to. When Webber refused to speak with me about this issue,
after having followed him for the past five months on the campaign trail, I felt it my
responsibility to speak up to what I know and what I don’t know.
What I know is that Alan Webber is a very, very wealthy man who mixed with a lot of very,
very, very rich folks from Oregon and all of a sudden (supposedly) wants to be Governor of
New Mexico. Webber speaks of transparency but is non-transparent on the most important
issue facing him for the past 40-years. The rape and subsequent early death of Elizabeth
Lynn Dunham of Portland, Oregon. What I don’t know is exactly why Alan Webber won’t sit
down with me and answer the hard questions that no one in Oregon was willing or able to
ask. What did Alan Webber know about a female named Elizabeth Lynn Dunham and when
did he know it? Or better yet, when did he suspect something was not so kosher with his
very, very good friend, admitted rapist, Neil Goldschmidt.
It should be noted that all of what came out about Goldschmidt came out after the statute of
limitations had expired concerning the rape of Elizabeth Lynn Dunham. No one can be
legally held accountable anymore. But, that does not mean the hard questions can’t be
asked. That’s the one thing on the campaign trail that hasn’t evaporated away, yet. Mr.
Alan Webber may spend hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money sweet talking
the simple minded folks of New Mexico into believing he’s a good guy. I for one only want
one question answered. And that question is not being answered by Alan Webber to me as of
this writing.
At a campaign event in Albuquerque, I remember hearing Mr. Webber reply to a question I
asked about his wealth and his ethnicity and his chances at becoming Governor of New
Mexico. He replied, “I’m a rich white guy and proud of it”.
My advice to Mr. Webber….take your money and go away. Mr. Webber told me when I first
met him over the phone many months ago that “he was not afraid to speak with the media”.
He seems pretty scared to speak with me all of a sudden.
I am beginning to think I am in a forest and that birds of a feather do indeed flock together.
