State keeping Medicaid plans secret
The federal government recognizes that changes to a program so vital to the economic and physical health of our state cannot be made behind closed doors. Why hasn’t our state?
The federal government recognizes that changes to a program so vital to the economic and physical health of our state cannot be made behind closed doors. Why hasn’t our state?
The Sunland Park City Council will try again today to pick a new mayor and comply with the Open Meetings Act.
Sunland Park is without a mayor once again after Javier Perea voluntarily relinquished the position on Friday.
The Attorney General’s Office asks for confirmation by May 4 that the Sunland Park City Council has met to re-deliberate the appointment of a mayor – unless the council wants to instead argue that it didn’t violate the law.
Jesus “Ruben” Segura’s 12-year tenure as mayor does not represent the good old days in Sunland Park. It’s just another page in a scandal-plagued chapter in the city’s history that needs to come to an end.
The attorney general has also been asked to consider whether the city violated the Open Meetings Act by appointing Javier Perea to be mayor without letting everyone who sought to attend – including two others who wanted the job – into its meeting.
By all appearances, the Sunland Park City Council tried to comply with the Open Meetings Act in appointing a new mayor, but it still failed. The city’s leaders don’t seem to know how to let sunshine in. They need help.
VIDEO: Javier Perea says he welcomes state takeover of the city’s finances and pledges open and responsible government dedicated to economic development.
The selection of 24-year-old Javier Perea came after others couldn’t ask to be appointed because police blocked the entrance when the room filled to capacity.
UPDATED: Among the allegations is that Amy Orlando failed to disclose on her campaign website who paid for it, but ProgressNow New Mexico failed to mention that Orlando’s opponent did the same thing.
We’ve got the better part of a year to build a bigger team of sunshine champs and then we’re going to bring our A game to the 60-day session in 2013. In the meantime, public officials who say they support transparency should lead by example and not wait for new laws to force them to do the right thing.
VIDEO: Retiring state Sens. Mark Boitano and Dede Feldman reflected this week on their efforts to pass ethics and transparency legislation during their tenures and other topics during an interview with New Mexico In Focus. Click on the headline to watch.
Sen. Mark Boitano, a champion of the movement to webcast legislative proceedings, announced tonight that he won’t seek re-election, making him the fifth senator thus far to announce that he’s retiring this year.
UPDATED: State Sen. Dede Feldman, a longtime champion of government transparency, announced today that she won’t seek a fifth term this year.
Sunland Park officials are like children: They’ve been allowed to break the rules, so they keep doing it. Let’s hope this time law enforcement and state officials do what it takes to clean up this mess.