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.
Gov. Bill Richardson may have vetoed language requiring the elimination of 1,900 vacant positions across state government, but one prominent lawmaker says he won’t stop trying to reduce the size of state government.
“I’m still going to pursue it,” Rep. Luciano “Lucky” Varela, D-Santa Fe, and chairman of the Legislative Finance Committee, told The Independent this week.
Varela said that reform might come through a measure that did become law this year — the Government Restructuring Act. That law sets up a task force to study everything from the possible consolidation of agencies and
the elimination of programs that duplicate services to current and projected staffing needs at state agencies for full-time, part-time, term, temporary and contract employment.
The act requires the task force to report its recommendations by Dec. 1 and submit proposed legislation for the 2011 legislative session by Dec. 31.
“We have too many vacant positions,” Varela said, adding that eliminating a portion of them is the right thing to do. “If we want to expand government, we can come in and ask for new positions.”
