Speaker of the House takes issue with Jennings and Smith.

Speaker of the House Ben Lujan has written a letter that has been published on Haussamen, link, NMI, link, and other political blogs statewide.

The letter is written in rebuttal to a letter written by Senate President Pro Tem Tim Jennings, link, and to remarks previously make by Senator John Arthur Smith. Jennings and Smith both expressed the concern for the need for deep budget cuts including cuts to education.

In his letter, Lujan spanked the two senators, whose names he would not mention, for sharing their concerns with the people before he and others had had the opportunity to massage them.

I am deeply disappointed that two high ranking members of the Senate independently and prematurely communicated information pertaining to budget cuts that does not represent the position or the views of the legislature as a collective body.

Lujan would have preferred;

The work group representing the House, the Senate and the Executive are making strong efforts to develop recommendations for our collective consideration. They are still negotiating strategies to address these matters. Once the parameters are defined, these considerations will be thoroughly discussed in our respective caucuses before moving forward to a special session.

I see smoky (figuratively speaking) back room conversations about the public interests that do not include the meaningful participation of stakeholders. Lujan claims in his letter, "stakeholders will be a significant part of the discourse".

I am not sure how that can be, if those who share their feeling and opinions with stakeholders are then spanked in public.

"Therefore, the information communicated by the two senators creating the perception that this is the collective position of the Legislature is unfair and disrespectful to all members of the Legislature."

Lujan's standing and credibility in attacking Jennings' and Smith's ethics and integrity, is shaky at best, link.




photo Mark Bralley