Richardson Names Reinstituted Ethics Reform Task Force

With the intent to call a Special Session on Ethics Reform later this year, Governor Bill Richardson has named a 23-member Ethics Reform Task Force to once again study and recommend legislation concerning such issues as limiting campaign contributions, creating an independent ethics commission, requiring improved campaign reporting and public funding of statewide elections. They'll also analyze why the NM Legislature balked at passing most of the major ethics and campaign reforms introduced this year.

Last year the Governor named an 17-member task force charged with similar tasks and used many of their recommendations to create a legislative package for the 2007 Legislative Session. Unfortunately, only a couple of elements of that package gained passage -- including public funding for Court of Appeals and Supreme Court judicial elections and limitations on gifts -- despite Richardson's call for a special session to consider the rest of the ethics bills, along with other legislation. All of the ethics package bills passed the NM House, but were held up on the Senate side, most of them by inaction in the Senate Rules Committee chaired by Sen. Linda Lopez.

In a press release issued on Friday, Gov. Richardson had this to say:

I am pleased that so many members of the first task force have agreed to continue their service, and grateful to the new members who give a fresh perspective to the work of the group,” said Governor Richardson. “The work of this group is critical, and I expect the task force to meet quickly and begin their work as soon as possible. Republicans and Democrats, business and government, non-profit and public, I believe this diverse group will help ensure the public’s best interests are well represented.

The members of the Governor’s Task Force on Ethics Reform are:

Co-Chairs

• Governor Garrey Carruthers, Dean, NMSU College of Business
• Suellyn Scarnecchia, Dean of the UNM School of Law

Members

1. Diane Denish, Lt. Governor State of New Mexico
2. Stewart Udall, Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior
3. Governor Charlie Dorame, Governor, Pueblo of Tesuque
4. James Lewis, NM State Treasurer
5. Stuart Bluestone, NM Chief Deputy Attorney General
6. Dede Feldman, NM State Senator (D-Albuquerque)
7. John Ryan, NM State Senator (R-Bernalillo, Albuquerque)
8. Ken Martinez, House Majority Leader, NM State Representative (D-Grants)
9. Jeff Steinborn, NM State Representative (D-Las Cruces)
10. Don Tripp, NM State Representative (R-Socorro)
11. Bill McCamley, Dona Ana County Commissioner
12. Jim Noel, Executive Director, Judicial Standards Commission
13. Doug Brown, Principal, Brown and Brown Ventures (former State Treasurer)
14. Leonard Sanchez, CPA, Moss Adams LLP
15. Norman Thayer, Attorney, Sutin Thayer and Browne
16. Tom Keesing, Realtor, Santa Fe Agency Real Estate
17. Geno Zamora, President, Zamora Strategic Advisors (former Democratic candidate, Attorney General)
18. Fred Nathan, Executive Director, Think New Mexico
19. Matt Brix, Policy Director, Center for Civic Policy (former Executive Director, Common Cause NM)
20. Claire Weiner, Public Member (who served on the Election Reform Task Force)
21. Maralyn Budke, Public Member

Editor's Note: Our posts on the handling of the ethics and campaign reform package in the 2007 NM Legislature can be found among the contents of our archive of posts on the topic, as well as in our 2007 Legislature archive.