Things are changing in New Mexico. We have a functioning Sunshine portal, a Foundation for Open Government to insure more open and above board processes, and bipartisan calls for transparency in campaign finance related to the recent Citizen United court ruling. However, before you get caught up in the new wave of higher ethical standards it is best to understand that not everyone is calling for a full accounting of everything that desperately needs full disclosure.
It has been nearly three years since agreements by Santa Fe County and the State of New Mexico paved the way for millions of dollars in funding and other considerations to go to private developers of a movie studio in Santa Fe. The terms of the scheme were nothing if not remarkably brazen.
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| Santa Fe Studios |
These very clever men managed to convince elected officials and/or decision makers in Santa Fe that it was in the “public interest” to construct this particular facility to “lure” Hollywood producers to New Mexico. How could such an incredible scheme come off? It seems that a longtime friendship between the principals and former Governor Bill Richardson provided significant political lubricants during the funding process.
Later when State Democratic Party Chairman Javier Gonzales was questioned about his good fortune with the project he said he had “detached himself” from it. However, numerous attempts at convincing Gonzales to actually provide full and complete disclosure of what “detaching” actually meant in financial terms, have been completely ignored.
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| Javier Gonzales |
The Sunshine Portal, the noble efforts of the Foundation for Open Government, and calls for full disclosure of the fund sources of PAC’s and Super PAC’s are reasonable. Is it also reasonable and ethical for a State Democratic Party Chairman to be on the receiving end, along with his partners, of a $10 million grant, a $6.5 government guaranteed loan, free land, and free utility hookups from government entities where he is presumed to have so much influence? If this is reasonable, is it also reasonable that he do so without being required to provide full disclosure of the financial details after his exit from a taxpayer financed deal?
If it is not reasonable for Gonzales to remain silent, why are so many otherwise reasonable elected officials and media members ignoring this situation while spending so much time pounding the table calling for full disclosure and transparency?
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