PRC study calls for ethics, hiring reform

From the Santa Fe New Mexican.com - Members of the scandal-plagued state Public Regulation Commission on Wednesday reviewed a management study that Chief of Staff Johnny Montoya (shown on left) characterized as a "proactive attempt" to reform the agency. The study's unveiling beat by a few days the opening of the 30-day legislative session in Santa Fe, where state lawmakers will talk about reforming the sprawling agency. The elected regulatory body has generated a series of scandals in recent years, including the 2011 resignation and felony guilty pleas by Jerome Block Jr., who stepped down as a Northern New Mexico representative on the commission after admitting to fraudulent use of a state-issued gasoline card, embezzlement, identity theft and other charges. The management study released Wednesday recommends shrinking the number of employees who are exempt from the personnel rules for hiring and firing. The study also proposes moving railroad regulation out from under the commission to the state Transportation Department, among other things. It recommends streamlining the handling of consumer complaints into one division. The management study is the latest step taken by the Public Regulation Commission in an effort to clean up its image. Last week, commission members adopted a policy tightening up how government-owned vehicles are used. The underlying question driving the study, Montoya told commission members Wednesday, is "Are we satisfied with the way things are at the PRC?" A resounding "no" was the response of all members of the five-person commission. "It's time to do changes at the PRC," Chairman Pat Lyons said. Read more

PRC study calls for ethics, hiring reform