New Whisleblower law to be tested.

It is difficult to imagine a more important question to ask in any oligarchy than;

Do you feel safe in reporting corruption and incompetence?

State employees, when asked that question, are likely to report that they do not feel safe. That fear of retribution and retaliation protects the corrupt and incompetent from the consequences of their corruption and incompetence. It enables the culture of corruption and incompetence to endure.

The NM Watchdog reports, link, on a former employee of the Public Regulation Commission who says he was fired for blowing the whistle on misconduct in the agency destined to become the poster child for public corruption and incompetence in NM state government.

The end of public corruption will follow the end of retribution and retaliation against those who report it.

A recent audit of the Albuquerque Public Schools revealed a culture of fear of retribution and retaliation against whistle blowers. The leadership of the APS is yet to address the problem; their whistle blower protection policy is near worthless, their system for reporting administrative misconduct is nothing more than a forwarding mailbox that sends complaints right back into the administration against whom the complaints are filed.

APS' Audit Committee, chaired by board member David Robbins, steadfastly refused to review whistle blower complaints though their review is specifically and explicitly required by APS School Board Policy.

The only defense offered by Robbins; "(our refusal to follow board policy requiring review and approval of whistle blower complaints) does not violate federal law".

There is no venue in which a complaint can be filed against corrupt and incompetent school board members.




photo Mark Bralley