State agency puts the brakes on vehicle use

From the Carlsbad Current Argus - SANTA FE — Jerome D. Block Jr., driven from his elected office by a theft scandal, has left one last mark on the state agency he cheated. Largely because of Block, the 266 employees of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission now risk their livelihood if they take home a state vehicle without permission from the chief of staff. The state's five public regulation commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to tighten controls on the 101 vehicles in their fleet. Even before the commissioners formally approved the plan Thursday, a crackdown was under way. One taxpayer noticed a PRC employee in a state car at a Walmart one morning last month. The worker, it turned out, had stopped to buy Christmas cards while driving a state car on public business. Montoya said this led to a warning for the employee. Since the publicity about Block, the citizenry is watching how the agency conducts itself, Montoya said. Read more

State agency puts the brakes on vehicle use