I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
Like many in the media, I received an e-mail on Thursday from James Flores, spokesman for the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office, that had nothing to do with the work of the government office that employs Flores.
The e-mail, sent from Flores’ government address, contained a news release announcing that the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) was urging “swift confirmation” of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Barack Obama’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court.
What does that have to do with the work of the office of the secretary of state, you ask? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. But it does have something to do with Secretary of State Mary Herrera, who is the president of the NALEO board. The group is a leadership organization for elected and appointed officials in America who are Latino. It claims to have 6,000 members.
So, the bottom line is this: An employee of the secretary of state’s office was using his official position and a state government e-mail server to promote a private organization’s position on Sotomayor — an organization that’s currently headed by his boss.
Yeah, that about sums it up.
So I sent an e-mail back to Flores:
“I’m wondering if you can say anything for the record about whether you or the secretary of state see any problem with a state employee using the state’s e-mail system to help promote the news and positions of a non-governmental organization like NALEO?” I asked.
Just asking.
That was Thursday. I’ve received no response so far.
