A nonprofit at the center of an election-year controversy didn’t miss a state-ordered Sept. 2 deadline after all.

That’s because the nonprofit had an agreement with the Attorney General’s office to stay the deadline. But that answer wasn’t easy to come by. It took several phone calls placed by this reporter, a bit of confusion at the Attorney General’s office followed by a moment of clarity.

The quest started with a story on the front page of the Thursday’s Albuquerque Journal announcing that New Mexico Youth Organized has missed a deadline to register as a political committee.

NMYO has engendered the ire of some sitting state lawmakers for mailers it sent out in the months preceding the June 3 primary. Ultimately three lawmakers lost their re-election bids and they blamed the mailers, which they contend crossed the line from issue advocacy to electioneering, in part for their defeat.

A few hours after the Journal story appeared, the Center for Civic Policy, which oversees New Mexico Youth Organized, issued a statement. It said that it had reached an agreement to stay the deadline prior to Sept. 2 during two weeks of discussions with the AG’s office. So, the nonprofit said, the Journal story was inaccurate.

Reached a little after 4 p.m., Phil Sisneros, spokesman for Attorney General Gary King, told the Independent he knew of no agreement and that the Journal story was correct.

The Independent called the Center for Civic Policy for a response. Specifically, to the AG’s contention that there was no agreement and that, in fact, the Journal was correct. The Center for Civic Policy said it stood by its statement.

A little after an hour later, Sisneros, King’s spokesman, called the Independent to say that there was an agreement that had been reached, about 20 to 30 minutes earlier.

"We have agreed that there will be a stay. We are still working on final terms and details of that agreement," Sisneros said, adding that the Journal story was technically correct.

Mmmmm. Inquiring minds wonder if any agreement involving lawyers can be put together that quickly.

Editor’s note: The Center for Civic Policy helped to locate funding sources for the New Mexico Independent.