Baca wants to spruce up City Hall.

Byline: Ed Asher TRIBUNE REPORTER

City Hall is a very depressing place, Mayor-elect Jim Baca says.

No, the work hours and the politicking haven't sunk him into the doldrums even before he takes office.

Baca's talking about the building's decor.

"It's like a dungeon," he said.

"It's very foreboding. When you walk into the building, you see nothing but this ugly tile wall. It's like a bathroom. It's too dark. It's very dreary, very depressing."

The lobby, he said, is unfriendly.

"It says nothing about Albuquerque," he said. "There's no atmosphere."

And when he looks at the tile on the wall, he said, he …