In NM, Basic Integrity Violations are Routinely Tolerated

Dr. Terry McMillan

New Mexico legislators serve on a volunteer basis. At least most of them do. The financial sacrifices of some lawmakers like surgeon Terry McMillan of Las Cruces are extraordinary. McMillan is not unique. There are more than a hundred other legislators who sacrifice plenty of personal income to serve the state. Amazingly, for a handful of legislators, the taxpayers continue to pay their salaries while they do work that all others do as volunteers.

Representative Sheryl Williams Stapleton, best known for an infamous rant where she referred to Governor Susana Martinez as the “Mexican on the fourth floor,” and Senator Bernadette Sanchez, both draw their paychecks from the Albuquerque Public Schools while away from their posts for considerable lengths of time. And somehow, nobody seems to know what APS does about the work these two leave undone while away. Perhaps APS pays two other people to also do the jobs of Stapleton and Sanchez? 

Sheryl Williams Stapleton

Stapleton lists her occupation at APS as, “educator.” However, nobody we spoke with seems to know exactly what Stapleton does for APS. Senator Bernadette Sanchez lists her occupation as “counselor.” Anyone familiar with the workings of the modern school system knows that a counselor’s work is never done. So the question is, how does APS get work done for Sanchez when she is away from her post?

Astonishingly, it is a different story for Representatives James Smith of Sandia Park, Tim Lewis of Rio Rancho, and Dennis Roch of Texico. These three educators all take UNPAID leaves of absence from their school districts during their days of service in the legislature.

Bernadette Sanchez

The contradictions, conflicts of interest, and basic breaches of ethical practices involved in the situation surrounding these five New Mexico education system employees are quite remarkable. Clearly with Sanchez and Stapleton, there is no inclination towards self-policing. These two lawmakers both seem perfectly content to be paid by the taxpayers, while all others forego their salaries, and the tasks associated with their full time jobs go undone.

This being the case, the question is, should school districts that are funded by the taxpayers be allowed to cheat? This is exactly what they are doing when they provide wages to lawmakers who do not do their jobs while they serve in an otherwise volunteer legislature.

Barriers to reforming these types of atrocious double standards are put up by the Democratic leadership in the New Mexico legislature as a matter of routine. Nobody should wonder why education reform goes undone in the New Mexico legislature when the path to establishing basic integrity and ethical standards are blocked. And all of this seems to happen without even a hint of public outrage. Corrupt school districts like APS know they can be serial violators of the most basic tenets of integrity without consequences. New Mexico will only deserve better results when voters make sweeping changes in the composition of the House and Senate.

In NM, Basic Integrity Violations are Routinely Tolerated