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.
Future governors won’t have free reign for political hires if Sen. John Ryan, R-Albuquerque, is successful with a bill that would limit the future governors to roughly 567 so-called exempt employees.
Gov. Richardson has come under fire for increasing the number of exempt employees, who serve at his pleasure and who often earn significantly more than their non-political colleagues.
Senate Bill 127 specifically says the governor could hire those exempt employees who are identified in state statute (Ryan says that’s about 400 positions) than they would have discretion for another 167. “It’s clear this Legislature thinks there’s too many (exempt employees),” Ryan said, adding that the idea is to not allow future Governors to use the amount of exempts hired in the past as a benchmark for themselves.
Ryan said that when Governor Gary Johnson was in office he had 176 exempt employees and compared that to the 580 or so under Governor Richardson (according to Ryan).
Senator Ryan also pointed to the lack of disclosure over the 59 employees said to have been cut by the administration. Since names and positions aren’t provided its hard to verify how many, if any, of those positions have been eliminated.
Ryan’s bill was ruled germane by the Senate Committee on Committees by a unanimous vote. It now heads to the Senate Public Affairs Committee.
