On Saturday (March 2), committee chairwoman and Skandera critic Linda Lopez, D-Albuquerque, allowed one and all to come before the committee to voice their support or opposition to the 39-year-old who has been the face of the public education reforms that Republican Gov. Susana Martinez has pushed since coming into office.
The crowd was so large that the committee moved its hearing to the full Senate chamber and the testimony ran so long that Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez cancelled all legislation to be debated on the Senate floor. By the end of the exhausting day, Sen. Lopez gaveled meeting to a close and told reporters the hearing may resume on Monday and could be delayed until later next week.
Ironically, it’s become evident all the debate over Skandera may not amount to much in a practical sense. Here’s why: First, if the Senate Rules Committee — made up of six Democrats and four Republicans — ends in a 5-5 tie to recommend Skandera, the confirmation will not go to the full Senate because in the event of a tie, no committee recommendation can be sent to the Senate. That would mean that Skandera will remain as Secretary-designate.
Second, if the full Senate does conduct a confirmation hearing and even if it rejects Skandera’s nomination, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Gov. Martinez would have to name a new PED secretary. In theory, Martinez could simply name Skandera deputy secretary, not name a replacement and simply assign Skandera all the duties and responsibilities of the job. As John Robertson of the Albuquerque Journal has pointed out, that’s exactly what other governors such as Garrey Carruthers did in similar circumstances. Read more
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