Peacenik vs. secretive senator for Capitol dishonor

Feb. 28—Some years are more cutthroat than others for statehouse politicians.

This is one of them, as two Democratic legislators vie for the dishonor of introducing the worst bill of 2023.

The contenders are Sen. Bill Tallman of Albuquerque and Rep. Andrea Romero of Santa Fe.

Romero's retread proposal would further lard the state bureaucracy by creating an expensive and unnecessary agency. Her House Bill 171 would annually snatch $500,000 from the state general fund for the Office of Peacebuilding.

No doubt you're wondering what this agency would do. Nothing much is the honest answer. But Romero's bill claims the Office of Peacebuilding would use "a facilitated process of people taking turns talking and listening to each other to allow an exchange of diverse ideas, information, opinions and experiences to foster greater understanding between people."

With verbiage like that, Romero could land a job as chief of monuments for the city of Santa Fe. But I digress. Let's return to Romero's proposed legislation.

Her bill would instigate the hiring of someone to administer the Office of Peacebuilding. At $500,000 a year, the agency could also hire an assistant director and maybe an outreach coordinator. Who says state government doesn't create jobs?

The director would report to the governor and think deep thoughts. One job of the Office of Peacebuilding would be "the prevention, management and resolution of conflict." Another would be "the study and promotion of social, environmental and sustainable economic conditions that create a culture of peace."

Romero said a constituent from Santa Fe suggested the bill. "I absolutely endorse it," Romero said.

Ordinary people would have a place in Romero's plan to foster tranquility and understanding. Her bill also would create the 11-member Citizens Peacebuilding Advisory Council.

This group would "reflect a concern for the integrity of the environment, the creative imagination of the arts and the multicultural, gender, economic, geographic and political diversity of the people of New Mexico."

Romero's bill is scheduled to be heard Monday by the House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs Committee. Her proposal replicates old, failed bills by Democratic Sens. Nancy Rodriguez and Jerry Ortiz y Pino.

They wasted the time of the Legislature, bill analysts and state agencies that submitted statements on how an Office of Peacebuilding would fit into the government.

By reviving a bill that's bound for the legislative graveyard, Romero has regressed. As a freshman lawmaker in 2019, she authored the Right to be Forgotten Act. Romero pulled that bill after a seasoned legislator explained it was an attack on the First Amendment.

Sen. Tallman's bill is more dangerous than Romero's. His attempt to codify secrecy in the hiring of government executives has already cleared the Senate on a 31-9 vote. It is scheduled to be heard this week by the same House committee that will consider Romero's proposal.

Tallman would weaken the state public records law with his Senate Bill 63. A city hiring a police chief or administrator would hide the names of all applicants except three finalists. School boards would do the same when hiring a superintendent or other executive.

Tallman, 82, is a retired city manager. He says New Mexico scares away good talent for top government jobs because the names and résumés of all applicants are public records.

He ignores the value of the law, which was highlighted in a recent instance in Deming. Its newspaper reported the village administrator of Ruidoso applied for a public job in Deming. This administrator had been placed on leave amid allegations he stalked a female employee.

"It is a matter of public interest that, while he was ostensibly preparing to defend himself against allegations that could end his career in public service, [the Ruidoso administrator] was applying for a lower-level municipal job in another county," wrote Algernon D'Ammassa, editor of the Deming Headlight.

Lobbyists for governments are helping Tallman. One is Katherine Crociata, who speaks for the New Mexico Association of Counties.

"There are a number of county employees who would like to apply for executive positions, but having their names made public would put them in jeopardy and cause problems in their jobs. Certainly, if they made it to the finalist list, then that makes a lot more sense, but otherwise we believe this legislation protects them from scrutiny," Crociata said.

By accident, she exposed flaws in Tallman's bill. Neither public employees nor public agencies should be shielded from scrutiny.

The public records law already is crippled by unwarranted delays and diversions. Tallman's bill would make it worse.

He wants only a few insiders see the full list of applicants for important public jobs. Tallman is old enough to remember that system. He even might have smelled it.

Bosses of old political machines used to dole out public jobs — in smoke-filled rooms.

Ringside Seat is an opinion column about people, politics and news. Contact Milan Simonich at msimonich@sfnewmexican.com or 505-986-3080.