Ethics in New Mexico

That is what we need in State Government. When the leaders have a policy of open government and require it from the top down, only then will staff adhere to that policy. Here are some of the Ideas I support in regards to ethics and open government.

• Creation of an independent ethics commission. The commission should be bipartisan and include citizens and members of all three branches of State Government.

• The State Auditor and Attorney General should continue to be elected positions; however, their campaigns should be publicly financed in order to remove any appearance of impropriety or pay-to-play allegations. Their offices need to be adequately funded in order to investigate and audit all cases of importance that come to their offices.

• The Secretary of States Office needs adequate funding and Technology assistance in order to have complete and easy access to campaign finance reports. The system needs to be easy to use for both candidates and the public.

• The State should have a department of webcasting which would be entrusted with getting as many government meetings and press conferences webcasted as possible. NMStateGov_TV.com or something similar should be created to ensure a one-stop shop to find such webcasts.

• I also believe political office is a full time job regardless of the position and should be compensated as such. I believe we will attract some who just want to serve and would not be able to afford to do so. This could also provide honest competition for those who just have ulterior motives and those who want to use politics as a stepping stone to big lobby jobs and other high-paying positions. The common man or woman who has the knowledge, honesty, wherewithal and ability to run for office should not have to choose between a full-time job to support his or her family and serving the public in an elected position.

• Finally, transparency and open government has to be the policy and practice from the top down. Those who do not follow that policy should be disciplined or removed. Only then will this be adhered to by all state government. The Governor and Lt. Governor need to set the example.