Fred Nathan, left, and Rep. Jose Campos present HB 118.

HB 118, the bill aimed at banning political contributions from lobbyists and government contractors, is on hold for now.

The bill comes at an interesting time: in the wake of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court decision many say changes the face of campaign finance by allowing corporations to directly support and fund candidates for political office. (Obama decried the decision in last night’s State of the Union address, even though Citizens United has targeted him, too.)

Fred Nathan of Think New Mexico, the Santa Fe think tank backing the bill, told the House Voters & Elections Committee this morning that the Supreme Court decision “does not affect this bill”—but that assertion hardly seemed to quell some legislators’ concerns. Continue reading »

Hank Hughes, the executive director of the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness and former director of St Elizabeth’s Shelter in Santa Fe, has announced his campaign for Public Regulation Commission (Dist. 4). SFReeper caught him on a snowy Friday to talk about alternative energy, homelessness in New Mexico and joining a scandal-ridden state commission.

First, the obvious question: Why are you running?

The behavior of the current [Public Regulation] Commission is [not] very ethical, and I think it needs a lot of improvement in that area. I’m also very interested in renewable energy, and I think the PRC needs to play a role in promoting alternative energy so New Mexico can be a leader in that area.

Don’t you feel like you’re stepping into an ethical minefield here?

A lot of the ideas are already out there, like having an ethics commission. People are pretty aware of the ethical issues, so it’s a pretty good time to work on that, and I think there’d be a lot of public support for it. Obviously it’s not going to be easy…

Continue reading »

…a (potentially) big one for New Mexico: SFReeper just got word from Fred Nathan of Think New Mexico that Rep. Jose Campos, D-De Baca, introduced HB 118, a bill aimed at banning political contributions from lobbyists and special interest groups.

Read the bill summary from Think New Mexico, which has been pushing for the bill as part of its 2010 ethics initiative, and details about Sen. Tim Keller’s separate ethics bill after the jump. Continue reading »

Here are Gov. Bill Richardson’s prepared remarks for the opening of the Jan. 19 session of the New Mexico Legislature, from which I’m sure he will vary at least a little here and there:

Before we begin, let me say that the thoughts and prayers of every New Mexican are with the people of Haiti during this terrible disaster.
What we don’t hold in riches, we have in generosity and I would like to encourage our citizens to do all they can to help those in such great need.
Lt. Governor Diane Denish, Speaker Ben Lujan, Senate Pro-Tem Tim Jennings, distinguished members of the New Mexico Legislature, and the State Supreme Court, members of our Congressional Delegation, honored guests, including New Mexico’s First Lady Barbara Richardson and my fellow New Mexicans.
I’m sure you will agree that this year – more than any other – represents a defining moment for us all.
How we respond to tough times like these is a test of who we are as a people. Continue reading »

As promised, here’s the good stuff:

The preceding page began:

“The Commissioners must lead by example————”

The PRC let reporters in to view super-thick binders with copies of a couple hundred survey ethics survey, like this one. Most were not redacted. Indeed, most responders didn’t bother to offer suggestions at all. Nearly half of the employees who got surveys didn’t fill them out, for whatever reason.

According to the PRC’s new spokesman Gerald Garner Jr:

Of the 265 surveys distributed, 127 were completed…Approximately 30 of the completed questionnaires contain redacted items. The redactions were made because they contained anonymous personal criticisms of individuals at the NMPRC.

Judging by the tone and content of many handwritten responses, some of the harshest criticisms were likely directed at high-level managers and the PRC’s elected commissioners. That’s not much of a surprise, but specific allegations of unethical conduct are what’s of public interest here—and those are precisely what the PRC has chosen not to disclose.

Some series, if vague charges did make it past the PRC’s black pen.

Assault, embezzlement, sexual harassment, campaign law violations—is that all you got?

I’ll post more after the cut. Keep refreshing!

Continue reading »