The Spirit of the Redaction

Two months after receiving it, Bernalillo County Manager Thaddeus Lucero has released the (now heavily redacted) summary, link, of the impartial investigation of the Dantis scandal.

A few questions arise.

The first; why can we never get a crisp and clean copy of a
public record; why are they always slanted to one side and,
why do they always smack of a copy of a copy of a copy?
I digress.

The really important question is; is the redaction candid, forthright and honest?

Did those who redacted it finish and say;

I have told as much truth as the law will allow.

Or, did they finish it and say;

I have told as little truth as the law absolutely requires, and then only after protracted litigation.

Likely, we will never know. Though the question is important, and we have a right to know the answer. If government is to be truly "by" the people, we have a need to know.

I have sent the following email to County Commissioner Maggie Hart-Stebbins;

Commission(er) Hart-Stebbins,

I, like many I would suppose, am not happy with the redaction that has been done on the investigative report on the MATS scandal.

I think there is a need for an independent review of the redaction to ensure that it complies with the spirit of the law.

As far as I know, the only option I would have to cause that independent review, would be to file suit under the NM Inspection of Public Records.

It seems outrageous that I would have to file a lawsuit against my government in order to find out the truth about the spending of my power and my resources.

I am in hope that there is something you, and/or the commission, can do to cause an independent evaluation of the redaction.

Is there?

grateful for your time and attention

So far, no response.


Interestingly, the first line in the summary reads;

"It is essential to the efficient and effective operation of government that is has the public's trust."

It is as indefensible as it is absurd; allowing the subject
of an investigation to redact its results, without any real
oversight. We are to "trust" him; whether we want to or not,
whether we actually do, or not.

And when the trust is betrayed; what then?
Where is our recourse?