Journal finally covers APS Audit Director Scandal

The Journal has finally covered the story link, that
Larry Barker broke four days ago. link

The essential elements are there, except that no mention
was made of the fact the he was not just an "auditor" but
that he was actually the Director of Internal Audits, and
had just been vetted for and promoted to that position barely
one month before.

Neither did the Journal report that Kimbrell, who had
worked in the APS Finance Division for some 15 years and
never blew the whistle on any of the irregularities that were
identified in the Meyners Audit, and which
have likely cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

I stumbled onto Winston Brooks

He was being interviewed on govt tv by City Councilor,
Michael Cadigan.

The question was about APS' image in the community.

Winston Brooks was saying that he thought the Journal was giving the APS fair press and not just reporting on the bad things.

But, he said, APS' image still suffers because,
sometimes the bad news will "get out".

"get out", as in;
"get out", even though they tried their darndest
to keep it from "getting out",
"get out" even though they tried their darndest
to keep stakeholders from learning the "bad" truth.

For example;

Brooks never intended to tell the community that
he had to fire the Director of Internal Audits,
a month after he vetted him for, and promoted him to,
one of the highest positions in the APS Finance Division.



But it "got out" anyway; thanks to KRQE's Larry Barker.

And now everyone knows that he was hiding the truth,
again.

And the image of the leadership of the APS suffers for it,
again.

The Game Plan

There are standards, and there is accountability.

Given;

standards must be meaningful, and
accountability must be inescapable.

And that;

although it is in the public best interest for public servants
to be inescapably accountable to meaningful standards
of conduct and competence, they are not.

And further that;

for all practical intents and purposes, it is impossible
to change that reality by any imaginable means.

On the other hand,

it is at least within the realm of possibility, that by means of
public pressure, role models could be held accountable as
role models of a higher standard of conduct than the law.

If the school board could be held accountable as role models,
they would at once, be accountable as public servants as well.

Having set a precedent;

that public servants can actually be held accountable
to meaningful standards of conduct and competence,

public pressure could move to the next least powerful body
of public servants; perhaps the mayor and city council,

and then the county commission,

and then the governor and state legislature,

and then who knows; maybe the president and congress.


It all begins with holding the first body of public servants
honestly accountable to a higher standard of conduct than the law;

which is the lowest standard of conduct among civilized people,

and is which is on its face,
wholly inadequate for protecting the public interests,

from corrupt and incompetent public servants.




The second body will be easier, the third, easier still.

"It takes great courage to speak out loud

about things which on the quiet are known to everybody." unk

The significance of the secrecy.

APS fired a senior administrator without giving him a few hundred thousand dollars to leave quietly.

This is actually a step forward for the leadership of the APS.
This is in fact, the first time in my memory, that they fired
a senior administrator on the spot, and didn't soften the firing
with a cushion of cash.

Stakeholder faith in the leadership of the APS would have grown.

Why then, did they keep the firing secret until Larry Barker
got wind of it and exposed the whole thing to the light of day? link

Is this just the knee jerk reaction; the first inclination of
the leadership of the APS when the shit hits the fan? link

APS Deputy Superintendent Tom Savage's first order
to employees after the scandal in the APS Police Department
came to light, was to order employees to keep their mouths shut.

If one's top priority is always to keep a lid on things,
one's top priority cannot also be to fix the problems
on which, the lid must be kept.

The leadership of the APS had a chance to improve their
reputation with stakeholders. They had a chance to prove
to stakeholders that there really are consequences for even
senior administrators in the APS. And they blew it.

There is only one reason not to tell the truth.
And that is when the truth is worse than the lie.
Winston Brooks' administration still assigns the top priority
to keeping the truth from stakeholders.

And we cannot trust people who's top priority is to
keep us from finding out the inconvenient truth.

They had a chance to be honest with stakeholders, and
they chose instead to see if they could fire the second in
command in a Division in turmoil, without anyone noticing.



They failed, and now they look as bad as they ever have.

Worse;

if that is even possible.

You should read this, I think

It is an essay by blogger Heath Haussamen link
on the need for ethics reform in government.

This isn't going to end until enough people are willing
to go some where, some time, to do some thing.

A bunch of us.

Too many of us to ignore.


It is beyond naive, it is beyond even stupid, to suppose that
the good ol' boys are going to put themselves out of business.

Or that they can be put out of business at election.

Our servants are in rebellion, they are out of our control.

This will get done by us, or it will not get done at all.

All of us some where, some time, to do some thing,

together.



May I suggest ? a rather powerless pustule of arrogance;
the leadership of the APS.

Public servants who think
they can stonewall legitimate questions
about the public interests in the APS.

And get away with it.

"Silence gives consent." unk

Unless you cannot move,
it is time that you did.

The vetting of Michael Kimbrell

In June of 2008, APS Director of Internal Audits,
Michael Kimbrell was fired from the APS when it was
discovered that he was spending most of his work day
watching porn and playing slots. link

One month before that, Kimbrell had been promoted to the
position of Director of Internal Audits.

The leadership of the APS supposedly thoroughly "vetted"
Mr. Kimbrell. Presumably, Winston Brooks, or whomever,
carefully and thoroughly examined Kimbrell's character and
competence before promoting him to the second most senior
position in the APS Finance Division.

Unless you choose to believe that Kimbrell's penchant for
porn and slots, cropped up in the month between his vetting,
promotion, and then his firing,

APS' vetting process obviously leaves a lot to be desired.

The vetting process that preceded his promotion to one of the
highest ranking positions in the APS, also missed the fact that,
although Kimbrell worked in the division for 15 years,
he either remained unaware of all of the irregularities cited by
the Meyners auditors, irregularities that have likely cost
taxpayers millions of dollars, or he chose to ignore them.

Michael Kimbrell never blew the whistle on the corruption and
incompetence, of which he must surely have been aware.

APS' vetting process was evaluated by investigators from the
Council of the Great City Schools. They found that
administrators were being promoted with
no objective evaluation of their competence to do the jobs
into which they are promoted.

The CotGCS auditors wrote;

Administrative evaluations are subjective and
unrelated to promotion and step placement.

Now you have to ask yourself; if APS' vetting process for appointment to senior administrative slots failed stakeholders so badly in the case of Michael Kimbrell,

how many other administrative slots have been filled by men and women who have not proven by any objective evaluation process, that they are in any way qualified to do their jobs?

APS Chief Financial Officer Gina Hickman is a product of
this same vetting process. Did she have to explain, as part of
that process, why she never blew the whistle on any of the
problems cited by Meyners auditors?

An honest administrative standards and accountability audit
will reveal the names of every corrupt and incompetent
administrator in the APS.

APS' own vetting process clearly will not.

I'm glad that Senator Domenici's health has improved.

The Journal reports that Senator Pete Domenici's prognosis has improved considerably. link

Perhaps the Founding Father of Character Counts! can summon the strength to go to a board meeting and protect his Foundchild from the dearth of character and courage in the leadership of the APS.

The leadership of the APS have renounced any personal accountability to the Pillars of Character Counts! even during the few hours a day that they hold students accountable to that nationally recognized, accepted and respected code of ethics.

Perhaps Senator Domenici would like to at least make a public statement about his reaction to the fact that the leadership of the APS steadfastly refuses to hold themselves honestly accountable as role models of the Pillars of Character Counts!


And while were at it, where is
Character Counts (Q) Founding Father Marty Chavez?

Why isn't Mayor Marty Chavez defending Character Counts! as means of bringing honest accountability to the leadership of the APS?


It is my firm belief that Pete Domenici is fully aware of
this problem and chooses to do nothing about it; in effect,
Founding Father Domenici has abandoned his Foundchild.

It is my belief that the same applies to Marty Chavez.

Truth be told, Heather Wilson knows about it as well,
the only difference between her and them is that
she has never claimed to be a Founding Parent.


also among the no shows with guilty knowledge of the facts;

The APS Character Counts! Leadership Council,
A council who membership is still secret, and
which was led by Paula Maes.

It looks like the council was formed in order to get some kind of federal grant, with Pete Domenici's help. Like I said, the membership is secret and no body will answer any questions about the money, including Pete Domenici's office.

Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce President,Teri Coles,
a huge supporter of Character Counts! until she was asked
to do something about the APS mess.

Founding Father Michael Josephson was asked to help
to bring some attention to the betrayal of Character Counts!
by the leadership of the APS.

He declined. He doesn't dirty his hands with local squabbles.
It's just not the way he rolls.

and

"Why are we surprised when the Fig tree bears figs?" unk

Does your APS board member vote?

I am always intently interested when votes are taken at board meetings.

They rarely have a roll call vote.
Robert Lucero is want to call for one if he wants to punctuate
his position on some issue or another.

In a voice vote, the chair demands;

all in favor say, I.

And then;

all opposed, same sign.

I watch their lips.

I swear that I have seen board members not vote at all
on more than one occasion.

I won't say who because I don't trust my eyesight,
and because they usually face down when they vote.
I might be wrong.

But I'm pretty sure that I'm not.

I think that if roll call votes are such a bother
that they won't use them,

perhaps they could meet stakeholders half way, and
at least raise their hands.


All in favor, say I.

Tony Hillerman Middle School

The board met twice Tuesday morning in back to back meetings.

In the first they approved a slightly rewritten policy covering
the process for naming schools. The policy guarantees that
stakeholders can participate meaningfully in the process.

In the second, they ignored the process that they had just
approved, and went ahead named the new west side
middle school after Tony Hillerman.

This is classic APS behavior; write rules and policies, and
then ignore them at will.

Board Member Delores Griego cast the lone vote against naming the school without following the process.










Board Member Robert Lucero can claim credit for pushing the immediate naming, despite the agreed upon, and then ignored, process for involving student stakeholders.


photos Mark Bralley link

A full scale, forensic accountability audit of the entire leadership of the APS

I have been asked to explain what I mean by the term "forensic audit".

I began with a Google to collect my thoughts and I decided upon;

Forensic; used or applied in the investigation and
establishment of facts or evidence,
appropriate for courts of law, or for public discussion
or argumentation.

Governor Bill Richardson said as recently as the last bond issue and mill levy elections, that the leadership of the APS has a state wide earned reputation for their lack of accountability.

Mayor Martin Chavez sees the accountability issue in the leadership of the APS as so profound, as to justify direct mayoral appointment of board members.

The Council of the Great City Schools auditors wrote that,

Administrative evaluations in the APS are subjective
and unrelated to promotion or step placement.

Those same auditors wrote that,

Anyone who filed any kind of complaint against a senior
administrator would would fall victim to
a "... culture of fear of retribution and retaliation..."

Every independent audit of the leadership of the APS
has reported significant problems with standards and accountability.

The leadership of the APS has never allowed any audit
of the conduct and competence of any senior admistrator
above the level of a Director.

The public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the
APS Police Department was laid on the Director,
and no mention was made at all of the senior administrator
that allowed that corruption to go on for ever.

The mess in the Finance Division was laid on a director.
No mention has been made of the senior administrator
that allowed that mess to go on for ever.

The Meyners Audit reported that billions of tax dollars have been spent

• without adequate standards, and
• without actual accountability, and
• without keeping adequate and complete records.

Barring a miracle of biblical proportion;
millions of tax dollars have been squandered or stolen.

The leadership of the APS refuses to respond to any questions
about any criminal misconduct that Meyners auditors
have exposed.

There is a reason that APS senior administrators are never fired,
except that they leave with a bunch of public funding for "education".

Gil Lovato got a half a year of administrative leave,
Micheal Vigil left with about a quarter of a million,
Brad Allison left with a bunch; and there are more. link

APS School Board President Paula Maes stood on the record in an open board meeting and said that she

... would never allow any audit that would name
the names of individual APS senior administrators
like for example; Tom Savage."

Almost two years later, the evidence of public corruption and
criminal conspiracy in the APS Police Department,
still has not been surrendered to law enforcement.
Statutes of limitation are about to expire, and good ol' boys
are going to get away with felony criminal misconduct, scot free.

There is no one in the entire leadership of the APS who will stand on the record and explain why they are obstructing an immediate, impartial standards and accountability audit that reports the public record.

The need for an impartial audit that reports to the public record
is incontrovertible.

Therefore; when I ask for a "forensic audit",

I mean an audit where the auditors work for the people,
and not for the people being audited.

I mean a standards and accountability audit;

1. Are there meaningful standards of conduct and competence for the senior public servants in the APS? and
2. Is there honest accountability to those standards under an impartial system powerful enough to hold even the most powerful public servants accountable, even against their will?

I mean an audit that reports to the public record.

I mean an audit that would make it impossibly difficult
to hide corruption and incompetence.

I mean an audit that would make it impossibly difficult
for APS senior administrators and board members
who have betrayed the public trust,

to continue to hide their names from public knowledge.

APS' Character Counts! Conundrum

Conundrum;

"A paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma."

The leadership of the APS handouts out a pamphlet entitled;

CHARACTER IS THE HEART OF NEW MEXICO

In one place in the pamphlet, the importance of role modeling
is thoroughly substantiated.

In another, the Pillar of Trustworthiness is outlined
including the tenet of honesty.

In the past, the leadership of the APS had a role modeling clause in their code of conduct. it read;

In no case shall the standard of conduct for an adult
be lower than the standard of conduct for students.

The language bound them as role models
of the student standard of conduct.
It was removed; deliberately, and with forethought.

Someone in the leadership of the APS has to summon
the character and the courage to be a role model
of the Pillar of Trustworthiness,
including the requirement to be honest,

about why they have abdicated
as role models of the student standard of conduct.

They have to role model the character and the courage
to explain, defend, or deny,
that they have excepted themselves from accountability
as role models of the student standard of conduct.

You see their paradoxical, insoluble, and difficult problem;
their dilemma?

They are damned if they do, and they are damned if they don't.

The worst part of the latest APS scandal

Michael Kimbrell spent a lot of hours watching porn and
playing slot machines, while he was being paid tax dollars
to be protecting taxpayers from exactly this kind of corruption.

"As KRQE ... investigative reporter Larry Barker found out,
it seemed no one was watching the watchdog." link

That's bad enough, but it is at most; manifest
human weakness.

On the other hand, and far worse;
the system did not prevent or even detect the corruption.

Were it not for a whistle blower,
he would still be playing slots and watching porn on our dime.

If the system enables this kind of corruption and incompetence,
if the system did not detect corruption on this scale,
how can we expect the system to detect corruption at all?


This scandal flows from a lack of standards and accountability
in the leadership of the APS.

A standards and accountability audit would end corruption
and incompetence once and for all.

Too bad that the ones with the power to start the audit,
are the same ones who will be destroyed by it.

Otherwise, there would be an audit.

An apology to Jon Barela

Jon Barela and I had a very interesting discussion this morning after the policy committee meeting.

Our meeting began with an air clearing.

Jon Barela took umbrage with my use of the word "homie"
a previous post link.

I have apologized to him in person, and apologize now in public,
for my ill advised use of the term.

Beyond that, Jon Barela still impresses me as one of the most competent board members in board history. He is knowledgeable, articulate, and runs a meeting more efficiently than anyone in my memory.

Now if we could just get together on the whole
"administrative role modeling of the student standard of conduct" thing.

APS Offices Can't Be Called Spartan

It is a matter of perspective.

Jolene Gutierrez Krueger's Journal headline link read;

"APS Offices Can't Be Called Luxe"

(luxurious, elegant, sumptuous deluxe)

Mine reads;

APS Offices Can't Be Called Spartan

(simple, frugal, austere, rigorously self-disciplined or self-restrained)

One could argue that,
for as long as there are classrooms with paint peeling off the walls,

there should not be administrative offices with custom
hardwood paneling on theirs.



It's all in your perspective.

There is no legitimate agenda that does not move forward

on the day that public servants, within their public service,

are finally honestly accountable
to meaningful standards of conduct and competence,

by an impartial system, powerful enough
to hold them accountable even against their will.


There is no downside, except for those who's record
of public service, is one of incompetence and/or corruption.

Only good could come

If either Bob Clark, or Jim Villanucci wanted to,
they could get hundreds, maybe thousands of people to go
to a board meeting to demand that the leadership of the APS
invite stakeholders to a town hall meeting
where they will answer any legitimate question
candidly, forthrightly, and honestly.


If they wanted to.


Where's the downside?


Except for those in the leadership of the APS
who's record of conduct and competence as a public servant
must be hidden from public knowledge.

Nobody in the whole APS said a word.

The Meyners Audit
An impartial audit was done on APS' Financial Division.
The Finance Division spends well over a billion tax dollars
every year.

About one fifth of that amount is accessible to graft;

"the acquisition of money, gain, or advantage by dishonest, unfair, or illegal means, esp. through the abuse of one's position or influence in politics, business, etc." link

And has been for a hundred years.

Auditors pointed out that;

1. policies were inadequate and financially unsound,
2. there was not honest accountability to such policies as there were
3. and that records were not being kept, accurate and complete enough to send anyone to jail.

Do the math.

How many millions of tax dollars have been wasted by corruption and incompetence in the leadership of the APS?

Who knows? And they aren't saying.

The 82 issues identified in the Meyners Audit,
did not pop up the day before the audit.
They have been there for a hundred years.

The point is;

there are people who worked in the APS Finance Division
who knew about the problems and understood the implications.
Not one of those people blew the whistle on the problems.

And now two of them have been promoted to positions from which a cover up could be mounted.

One is now their Chief Financial Officer, and the other
is now the Director of Internal Audits.

Neither will answer the question;

Did the Meyners auditors uncover any criminal misconduct?

Not, who are the criminals, just, did you find any?

I submit as certain;
there is no reason not to tell the (ethically redacted) truth,
except that you are damned by that truth.


The leadership of the APS refuses to just stand still and tell the truth.
They spend a million tax dollars a year on a Monica Armenta version of the truth instead.


If they have nothing to hide,

why won't they name a time, a day, and a place,
where they will sit and answer legitimate questions?

... candidly, forthrightly, and honestly.

Journal reports; "APS Offices Can't Be Called Luxe"

There is plenty to be upset about in the report by Journal
reporter Jolene Gutierrez Kruger. link

Among them, several properties which were supposed to have been sold to cover the cost of the $12.45M building purchase, and the $7.2M in remodels, but which are still owned by taxpayers.

Most upsetting, is the story Gutierrez Kruger did not tell;
the story about the new APS board room.

1. Taxpayers still don't know the truth about the cost of the board room. APS big wigs, like COO Brad Winter have a two year long record of refusing to disclose the true cost of the room. I suspect that it was close to a million dollars.

2. Winter and others, have a two year history of refusing of offer any justification at all, for building the room in the first place. Not only does the school board have access to Smith Brasher Hall on the CNM campus, a site they used for years, but, there is a lecture hall in every high school in the city, large enough for board meetings.

It should be pointed out that when the board was actually rotating their meetings among the HS lecture halls, they were much better attended by stakeholders who had only to make their way to their neighborhood school.

Now that the meetings are at the Uptown digs, and begin during the work day, the only people attending board meetings are administrators who are still in the building at 5 o'clock.

3. Gutierrez Kruger also did not write about the other scandal surrounding the board room. At the time a million dollars was being spent on the yet to be justified new board room, students at Susie Rayos Marmon Elementary School were being rained on in portable classrooms that were being used to three times their life expectancy.

Worse still, Winter was part of a plan that ended fire safety inspections in schools, to save hundreds of thousands of dollars that were being spent to remedy fire code violations that were being revealed during those inspections. Hundreds of thousands of dollars that were then spent to pay for the board room.

Gutierrez' story in incomplete. Stakeholders still do not know the truth.

The leadership of the APS still refuses to name a time, a day, and a place where they will respond to legitimate questions, candidly, forthrightly and honestly.

They still refuse to simply tell the truth.

There is only one reason to hide the truth.
The worst thing that any public servant can do
is anything they have to do in secret.

NMRP Chair, Vice Chair, and Rules Committee Chair, avoid ethics inquiry

Allen Weh, Jon Barela and Lou Melvin will not be
the subjects of any ethics investigation over the quashing
of a credible complaint filed against Jon Barela, link.

Basically because none of them is accountable to anyone
who actually gives a rat's ass about their ethical misconduct.

Huge tax savings possible.

We spend a lot of money on education.
The truth is, probably, we are not spending enough.

The problem is not that we are spending too much already.
The problem is that too much is being wasted.

Not just in education, but in every aspect of government.

All waste flows from two wells; incompetence and corruption.

Some part of every one of your tax dollars is wasted because of
the corruption and incompetence in government.

Let's say; 20 cents.

If we decided not to waste those 20 cents, it would be the same
as having 20% more tax money to spend,
without having to raise taxes even one dime.

Government tolerates and enables corruption and incompetence.

It can be made impossibly difficult to be corrupt or incompetent.

All we have to do is to insist upon meaningful standards
of conduct and competence for government employees
from the least powerful to the most.

All we have to do is to insist up honest accountability
to those standards.

Accountability according to a system that is beyond corruption,
and powerful enough
to hold even the most powerful, accountable,
and even against their will.

All we have to do in to insist upon an impartial audit;
every year.

An audit of corruption and incompetence,
an audit of the incompetent and of the corrupt.

An audit that reports directly to the public record.

It can be made impossibly difficult to get away with corruption and incompetence.

If the courthouse project were subject to intense and inevitable forensic auditing,
and everyone knew that up front,

there would not have been tax dollars wasted and
stuffed by handfuls, into people's pockets.

It can be made impossibly difficult to get away squandering the public truth and treasure.

The good ol' boys will not be the ones making it impossibly difficult to get away with being a good ol' boy and sharing in the good ol' booty.


Not without our insistence.

Not without first feeling the heat of our torches, or
the points of our forks.


We have lost control over power and resources that are fundamentally our own.

That control will not be simply given back.

It will have to be taken back against their will.

Torches and pitchforks.
What has deposed a tyrant ever,
except a popular uprising?

NMFOG looks dirty.

The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, lists
APS School Board Member, Paula Maes as a director. link

Yet in her capacity as a public official, Paula Maes stands in steadfast opposition to "open APS". She has forbidden any accountability audit that would name names. She stonewalls legitimate questions about the public interests in the APS.

Current APS Board Member Marty Esquivel is also listed as a board member of the NMFOG. In fact, the NMFOG site lists him as a past president.

Yet, Esquivel also stonewalls when the question is asked;

Will you name a time, a day, and a place where you will respond honestly, candidly, and forthrightly to legitimate questions about the public interests in the APS?

Leonard DeLayo, former APS board member, who has his own APS secrets to hide, admitting once being the target of NMFOG inquiries; is now the Executive Director of NMFOG. DeLayo reports that Paula Maes was instrumental in his movement in to the directorship of the NMFOG. link

One of APS' biggest secrets is the relationship between APS and the Modrall law firm. Modrall lawyer Patrick Rogers sits on the Executive Committee of the NMFOG; a position from which NMFOG's assistance, in compelling the surrender of the public records of the APS Modrall relationship, can be withheld.

Since when does "open government" not include telling the ethically redacted truth?

How exactly does this work? How do public servants who refuse to surrender the truth to public knowledge, get to run a Foundation for Open Government?

How do they get away with such egregious hypocrisy?

Perhaps because Journal Editor Kent Walz,
who steadfastly refuses to report on the ethics and
accountability scandal in the leadership of the APS,
also sits on the board of the NMFOG.

Perhaps because TH Lang, publisher of the Journal, is also a member.

KOB, KOAT, and KRQE, are all NMFOG members in some capacity.

From the NMFOG website;

NMFOG was created to fill a specific need because public officials and public agencies in New Mexico were--and some still are--often disdainful of the public's right to know and of the laws intended to insure public access to government decision-making.(emphasis added)

unless of course, those officials happen to work for the APS/Modrall;

an apparently exempt public agency.

The first time you stand up at a public forum

Your knees may wobble, your voice may crack,
you will feel very intimidated.

You will be looking up into the eyes of your servants,
they will be looking down at you.

In more ways than one.

The second time will be easier.
The third time will be easier still.

A few simple facts

In no particular order

1. Winston Brooks will not tell the truth; he refuses to set a time, a day, and a place where he will sit and respond to any legitimate question; candidly, forthrightly, and honestly.
2. Winston Brooks will not allow an independent standards and accountability audit of the APS.
3. An independent audit would reveal a widespread and deeply rooted lack of accountability to meaningful standards of conduct and competence.
4. An independent audit would reveal that likely millions of tax dollars are wasted in the APS annually. And that, that waste flows from corruption and incompetence.
5. The Meyners Audit revealed that a billion tax dollars a year have been spent

   • without adequate written financially sound policies,
   • without adequate accountability, and
   • without keeping records accurate and complete enough to send anyone to jail.

6. Council of the Great City Schools audits revealed that;
   
   
   • administrative evaluations in the APS were subjective and unrelated to promotion or step placement, and that
   • anyone who tried to hold any of them accountable for their misconduct or incompetence would fall victim in a "culture of ... retribution and retaliation".
   
   
7. An independent audit would reveal self exception from accountability even to the law. Their record is of taxpayer funded litigation against the public interest, and in defense of their self exception to the law.
8. Winston Brooks, the senior most administrative role model of the student standard of conduct, refuses to be held actually accountable as a role model.
9. There is not a single senior administrator in the entire APS, who will stand up as a role model of the student standard of conduct.
10. There is not a single member of the APS board of education, who will stand up as a role model of the student standard of conduct
    
11. They struck language from their code of conduct which read;

    In no case shall the standard of conduct for an adult be lower than the standard of conduct for students.

12. The school board's "code" of ethics" is by their own admission, completely unenforceable.
    

No one in the entire leadership of the APS has ever refuted
even one of these facts.

The Journal, a newspaper of record,
steadfastly refuses to report even one of these facts
to voter stakeholders.

Larry Barker has not investigated even one of these facts.

One "fact" is in dispute.
I would argue that it is a fact that
stonewalling is unethical because it is dishonest.
There are those who would argue otherwise.
But not on the record.

Everyone, that I have ever accused of anything,
has, and has always had,
the opportunity to refute anything that I have ever written.
They could not, and they will not, because they cannot.

As for myself in these matters;
I will respond candidly, forthrightly and honestly to
any legitimate question, that anyone cares to ask.

APS Director of Communications, ignorant

Rigo Chavez would have us believe that he doesn't know
the name of the private investigation firm that did an independent investigation of the public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the leadership of the APS Police Department.

When asked, repeatedly, for the name of the firm, Chavez
repeatedly dodged the question. Now he has acknowledged
the question but claims the need to do time wasting research;

"With regard to your request for information on a contract with a private investigation firm that conducted an investigation into the dealings of the APS Police Department in 2006-07, I have asked the APS Risk Management to gather that information and will let you know when it is ready for you to inspect."

The whole idea here, is to keep everything secret until statutes of limitation have expired, and APS good ol' boys can no longer be prosecuted for their misconduct, including felony criminal misconduct.

When given repeated opportunities to assign any other explanation for the almost two year delay in getting evidence of felony criminal misconduct to the DA for prosecution,

Winston Brooks continues to stonewall.


cc Winston Brooks upon posting.

A new test for APS' Director of Communications, Rigo Chavez

APS Director of Communications,
Rigo Chavez,

What was the total cost to tax payers
for the entire Celebrate the 8! effort?

And, what specifically did we learn that justified that investment?



cc Rigo Chavez upon posting.
The following email was sent to Rigo Chavez

Mr. Chavez,

Please respond to the following.

http://ched-macquigg.blogspot.com/2008/11/new-test-for-aps-director-of.html

You may respond directly to the record by posting your response as a comment on this post.

ched macquigg

He will or will not respond by comment on this post.
Likely, he will not.
Readers can, and should, draw their own conclusions
about what Rigo Chavez' stonewalling of this request
really means.

What did we learn from the Celebrate the 8! tour?

APS Supt Winston Brooks expended a great deal of time and public resources to underwrite his recent tour of the district.

At a time when he is so far behind the 8-ball in his office
that he doesn't even know if he has

"... too many administrators, too many teachers,
or too many custodians ..." on the payroll.

He heard a lot of things that he already knew; things we all
already knew.

And he heard some things that came as a surprise to him
and millions of dollars worth of senior APS administrators.

Which begs a question;

What is the single most important thing that Winston Brooks learned on tour, and was it worth the expense of finding it?

At a time when he and those same administrators could have
been in their offices trying to figure out if the APS have

"... too many administrators, too many teachers,
or too many custodians ..."

A test; I will ask Rigo Chavez to tell the truth about the overall cost to tax payers for the tour including administrative and staff salaries, handouts and cookies, and
I will ask APS' Director of Communication what new thing we learned for our investment.

Readers can follow up here link.

A schmoozing we will go, a schmoozing we will go, High-ho the dairy-oh, a schmoozing we will go.

Fresh off his Celebrate the 8! tour,
Winston Brooks is off on the Brown Bag Tour.

Under different circumstances, this would be alright.
A school district superintendent should be out schmoozing;

"Conversing casually,
especially in order to gain an advantage or
make a social connection." link

Schmoozing is only acceptable if it is honest.

Winston Brooks is trying to create an image with stakeholders;
he wants to look open and accessible, and honest.

The truth is that he is hiding the ethically redacted truth about a number of scandals involving the highest ranking members of the leadership of the APS.

The truth is that, Rigo Chavez won't reveal even the name of the private investigation firm that gathered evidence of felony criminal misconduct by senior APS administrators in the scandal in their Praetorian Guard; the APS Police Department.

And that secrecy is just fine with Winston Brooks.

As is the secrecy surrounding the likely missing millions of tax dollars revealed by the Meyners Audit.

As is the secrecy surrounding the ethics and accountability scandal in the leadership of the APS, and their steadfast refusal to allow any audit that names names.

As is the secrecy surrounding the administrative role modeling of the student standard of conduct scandal.

A schmoozing we will go, a schmoozing we will go,

High-ho the dairy-oh, a schmoozing we will go.

cc Winston Brooks upon posting.

The elephant in the room at the NMRP

Somebody flipped on the light switch and Jon Barela
and Allen Weh are standing there with their pants down.


Jon Barela, left, allegedly broke the rules of the NMRP.
Although it seems silly to use the word "allegedly" at this point.

Barela has had more than a month to explain, defend, deny, or even acknowledge his "alleged" violation of the rules; running against other republicans without vacating his state office in the NMRP.

There is only one reason to stone wall.
Stonewalling is the only defense of an indefensible position.

Colonel Allen Weh, right, is in command.

His obligation to enforce the rules has gone unmet.
The trust placed in him to protect the interests of stakeholders
has been betrayed.

Barela will not be held accountable for breaking the rules.

Weh will not be held accountable for not holding Barela accountable.



If this is not good ol' boys covering each others asses, what is?

If this is not corruption, what is?



photo by Mark Bralley link

The New Mexico Educators Ethics Bureau; not.

I once filed a complaint with the NM Educators Ethics Bureau.

The complaint was against Beth Everitt.

I argued that her deliberate refusal to be held honestly accountable as a role model of an ethical code of conduct,

was unethical.

I was told that

APS has lawyers; So I am sure they are not doing anything wrong.

among other things;
link State Auditor Balderas' mettle will be tested in a fight with Maes Modrall.
link New Mexico Educator Ethics (Shmethics) Bureau
link NMPED investigation; corrupt, incompetent, or both?
link So what ever happened to Elsy Fierro?
link APS Official Seeks Ethics Hearing
link the face of corruption and incompetence?
link Did Beth Everitt escape the NMPED "investigation" due to juice in the Governor's Office? and
link Gradegate; Final Score

NM State Statute 10-16-3. Ethical Principles of Public Service

NM State Statute 10-16-3 reads in significant part;

B. Legislators, public officers and employees shall conduct themselves in a manner that justifies the confidence placed in them by the people, at all times maintaining the integrity and discharging ethically the high responsibilities of public service.
(emphasis added)

and is available in it's entirety at link

The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education,
"public officers", one and all, refuse to tell the truth*.

That refusal is unethical.

It is unethical by any reasonable definition of the concept of ethical behavior. It is unethical according to the standard of conduct that the board established for, and enforces upon, students in the Albuquerque Pubic Schools.

The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education is not discharging ethically the high responsibilities of public service; in blatant and egregious disregard of the law.

A writ of mandamus, link, ought to compel them to tell truth.


It would be nice if a lawyer would help me prepare, pro bono,
a writ of mandamus.

It would be nice to have some help with the filing fee ($120)
as well.

*They steadfastly refuse to name a time, a day, and a place where they will stand up and answer legitimate questions, candidly, forthrightly, and honestly.

I once asked the clerk at the NM Second Judicial District Court, how many prosecutions have been pursued under
the, at least 40 year old law.

Her reply;

"None. I guess it has never been necessary."

What a hoot.

Jon Barela has a snowball's chance in hell

of becoming the next Chairman of the Republican Party
of New Mexico.

His only interest, at this point, in avoiding a rules committee hearing, stems from his unwillingness to take his "perp walk". wikilink.

He would rather his record not reflect that
he was removed from state office for breaking the rules.

And good ol' boys don't do perp walks anyway.

It's just not the way they roll.

Allen Weh too, would like to avoid the perp walk
for failing to enforce the rules in his command.

He too, would like to see the hearing take place after he leaves.

Or, even better, no hearing will take place at all.
Some good ol' boy will say the words that substitute for
accountability for the good ol' boys;

Let's forget about the past and look to the future.

In other words, no accountability for the good ol' boys;
they will slide, consequence free.

Self exception to the rules is the privilege of the privileged class.



It is important that we stop letting good ol' boys continue to
self-except themselves from accountability to the rules, and
from the consequences of breaking the rules.

Ignoring their misconduct just encourages more of it.

What the hell, and while were at it.

Why not call for the immediate resignation of
APS Superintendent Winston Brooks?

Superintendent Brooks

Either give us a time, a day and a place where
you will respond candidly, forthrightly and honestly
to legitimate questions about your steadfast refusal to
be held honestly accountable as a role model of
the Student Standards of Conduct

or;

resign.

cc Winston Brooks upon posting, at superintendent(at)aps.edu

Is it fair to hold Winston Brooks responsible?

APS' Custodian of Public Records, Rigo Chavez
has a record of obfuscating the surrender of public records
to public knowledge.

He has a record of ignoring simple requests for information.
I have asked three times now, for the name of the private
investigation firm that conducted the investigation of the
public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the leadership
of the APS (police dept). He is yet to surrender the truth.

So is Winston Brooks ultimately responsible for this effort to hide the truth from stakeholders?

I would argue that he is. It is difficult to imagine Rigo Chavez as rogue administrator trampling company policy and state law,

in order to cover the asses of the likes of Beth Everitt,
Tom Savage, and Gil Lovato.

And Darren White.

So is it Winston Brooks' will, that
Rigo Chavez hide the truth from public knowledge?

I think it is.

It would be consistent with Winston Brooks' steadfast refusal
to stand still and answer legitimate questions about the public interest, candidly, forthrightly, and honestly.

Winston Brooks is totally responsible for APS' failure to be honest with stakeholders.

The buck stops on Winston's Brooks' desk.



cc Winston Brooks upon posting, at superintendent(at)aps.edu

REQUEST FOR PUBLIC RECORDS

The following request was just emailed to APS' Custodian of Public Records, Rigo Chavez.

He will ignore my request for a return receipt because that's just not the way he rolls.

To: Custodian of Public Records,
Albuquerque Public Schools

From: Charles MacQuigg, (address)

This constitutes a request for all documents, papers, letters, books, maps, tapes, photographs, recordings and other materials, regardless of physical form or characteristics, that are used, created, received, maintained or held by or on behalf of any APS and relate to public business, whether or not the records are required by law to be created or maintained and excluding any records whose request is prohibited by any agreement between myself and APS.

1. All recordings of the regular school board meeting of 2/07/07
2. All recordings of the regular school board meeting of 11/5/07

My preference is that these be furnished in the form of a CD/DVD.

3. Any public record which contains the name of the private investigation firm that conducted an investigation of the APS Police Department in late 2006, and or early 2007. (one page will suffice)

4. any pages from the contract with that firm (item 3), that describe any stipulations regarding confidentiality, and or, dissemination of their findings.

cc Winston Brooks upon posting

"The most important decision any group can make, is their decision about how decisions will be made.

It should also be their first." unk

The Republican Party of New Mexico is about to regroup.

Apparently those who were driving the bus when it left the road
intend to be the ones who pick the next driver.

Will the game begin before the rules of the game are written?

Where in the process, is any respect for the opinions of the
great unwashed? Is this to remain the party of the few?



It is too early to make any decisions at all,
except for the decision about how decisions will be made.

Allen Weh; the call for his immediate resignation

Blogger Monahan reports link that Allen Weh is looking for
character and integrity in his replacement as
Chairman of the Republican Party of New Mexico.

In the meantime, he and Lou Melvin, NMRP Rules Committee
Chairperson, are up to their eyeballs in the cover up of a complaint filed with the Rules Committee of the NMRP over the apparent misconduct of NMRP First Vice Chair, Jon Barela.

It is time for Allen Weh to demonstrate that there is
character and integrity in the leadership of the NMRP
already, by acknowledging the complaint against Jon Barela.

In the absence of any acknowledgment of the complaint from
Allen Weh, Lou Melvin, or anyone else in the leadership
of the NMRP, I would argue that there is not enough
character and integrity and moral courage in the leadership
of the NMRP, for them to participate in the selection of
their replacements.

In the interests of the party, they should give the legitimate
complaint its due process or resign.


cc Allen Weh upon posting.
He will be allowed, of course, to post any rebuttal he might
have, as a comment on this post.




Important update from Peter St. Cyr's site link

In fairness to Marty Esquivel

When school board head honch, Paula Maes said that
she would never allow any audit which identified corrupt and
incompetent administrators individually,

Marty Esquivel voiced an immediate objection.


The Journal chose not to report upon the exchange,
denying Mr. Esquivel any constituent support for his
objection.

That is still the choice of the Journal.

And here we are.


Paula Maes has so far, successfully thwarted any audit
which individually identifies the corrupt and the incompetent
in the leadership of the APS,

including members of the school board.

Hector Balderas cannot ask for our vote

If Hector Balderas, by the time he asks for our votes,

has not surrendered to the public record,
a candid, forthright, and honest accounting of
what has happened in the APS Financial Division,

he has no right to ask for our trust, our confidence, or our vote.

According to the Meyners Audit, the APS Finance Division
is spending a billion dollars a year

• without adequate, written, financially sound, policies and procedures, and
• without adequate accountability to what polices and procedures there are, and
• without keeping records complete and accurate enough to send anybody to prison.

Subordinate administrators who did not blow the whistle on the corruption and incompetence, have been promoted to positions from which they can cover up the whole thing.

Unless there has been a miracle of biblical proportion,
millions of tax dollars have been lost to corruption and
incompetence. And taxpayer stakeholders will never know
the truth.


Before Hector Balderas can ask for our votes,

he will tell us about the miracle,

or he will tell us the truth about the squandering
of our trust and our treasure,

by the leadership of the Albuquerque Public Schools.


Fair enough?


cc Hector Balderas upon posting.

Naming names.

It is an essential difference between good ol' boy accountability
and real accountability.

How can you argue that a public servant is accountable for their
conduct and their competence, if the names of the corrupt and
the incompetent are kept deliberately secret, even in violation
of the law?


School board head honch, Paula Maes, said,
on the record and in front of reporters, and on videotape,
that she will never allow any audit
which will name the names of individual corrupt
and incompetent APS administrators.
(or board members)


How does this fly?


Why aren't voters and taxpayers screaming their heads off?



It is because the Journal, a newspaper of record, wikilink

won't tell them what she said.

The line between good and evil in the APS

There are APS administrators who welcome an impartial
standards and accountability audit of the entire leadership
of the APS.

There are APS administrators who stand four square against
any audit that will individually identify the incompetent and
the corrupt in the leadership of the APS.

Between them, is the line between good and evil.



The worst part?
As far as I can tell, they are all standing on the same side.

Why won't Jon Barela defend his honor?

He has been accused of violating NMRP rules, and is apparently part of an effort to deny a principled resolution of the ensuing complaint.

He has been accused of lacking the character and the courage to participate in a public discussion of administrative role modeling of the student standard of conduct,

even though he is one of the seven senior most role models of the student standard of conduct.

And still he has nothing to say.

For what reason except that,
I am correct in pointing out that the only reason he won't
defend his actions and his honor in these circumstances,

is that he has no defense for either?

And because stonewalling is the only defense of his
indefensible position.

cc Jon Barela at barela_jon(at)aps.edu, upon posting.

"APS Brass Could Use Transparency Training"

According to an editorial in the Journal this morning. link

Editors are still upset about the blatant Open Meetings Act
violations manifest in the school board's trip to Houston
last month.

The editors are concerned about;

"... the lack of transparency in having the elected body
that makes district policy and the superintendent
get together far from the prying eyes of the media and
taxpayers."

Unfortunately for APS stakeholders, the editors still are not concerned about the lack of transparency that surrounds;

• The scandal in the APS police department, now two years old and rapidly approaching the the deadlines of statutes of limitation which will except corrupt and incompetent senior APS administrators from accountability even to the law.
  
• The scandal in the Finance Division, which was reported in the Meyners Audit, and which has likely cost taxpayers millions of dollars lost to corruption and incompetence in that division.
  
• The scandal implicit in the overall lack of ethics and accountability in the leadership of the APS as evidenced by their refusal to explain, defend, or deny their refusal to begin an immediate standards and accountability audit of the administration of the APS.
  
• The scandal surrounding the leaderships' refusal to even to discuss administrative rolemodeling of the student standard of conduct.
• The lack of transparency implicit in the refusal of the leadership of the APS, to set a time, a day, and a place, where they finally stand still and answer legitimate questions about the public interests, candidly, forthrightly, and honestly.

Why are editors who are supposedly concerned with a lack of transparency, not concerned that the leadership of the APS will not answer legitimate questions about the public interests in the APS?

The editors are confounded apparently, by the obvious
connection between any lack of transparency in the APS,
and their refusing to simply tell the truth.

It really isn't that great a stretch.

Do you know your school board member?

If you passed them on a sidewalk, would you recognize them?

It is at least arguable that these people have as great an effect on our community as any other public servant. Who is your child learning more from; the school board or the mayor?

How does your representative to the APS Board of Education
comport themselves at a board meeting?

Are they one who hides their face when character and courage are on the table?

Does the lack of character and courage on the school board
trickle down to your kid? And by your kid, I mean our kids.

Where does the trickle stop?

Where is the line between character counts, and character doesn't count?

Your kid is told that their character depends on their moral courage.

They are required to model and promote the Pillars of Character Counts!

Are their teachers? their principals?
then all manner of mid level administrators and hangers on?
and then directors? then deputy superintendents?
then superintendent? and finally the school board,
required to model and promote
the Pillars of Character Counts!?

Students are accountable. Arguably, teachers are accountable.

Nobody else is.

Not the principals, not the directors, not the the deputy superintendents, not the superintendent, and not the school board.

Not one of whom will stand on the record and answer legitimate questions about administrative role modeling of the student standard of conduct.

Not one of them would replace in their own code of conduct
the following phrase;

In no case shall the standard of conduct for an adult
be lower than the standard of conduct for students.

This is not acceptable.

Larry Barker lacks follow through

Mr Barker uncovered an $43,000 scam involving APS good ol' boys.

And he is done.

The corruption and incompetence didn't even make the news the next day.


And the real story; that;

the system enables this, and no heads will roll

will never see the light of day.

Ignorantia juris non excusat, or, Ignorantia legis neminem excusat

"ignorance of the law does not excuse" or
"ignorance of the law excuses no one" wikilink

"... is a public policy holding that a person who is unaware
of a law may not escape liability for violating that law
merely because he or she was unaware of its content;
that is, persons have presumed knowledge of the law"

except for good ol' boys in the leadership of the APS.

An APS administrator cut a sweet deal for the husband of
another APS administrator. The deal cost taxpayers $43,000.
link

The principles claim that they didn't know that APS facilities couldn't be dedicated for their exclusive use, or that there were fees involved with that use.

No one has even been put on administrative leave with pay,
the usual consequence for good ol' boys who really screw up.

It sounds like a felony.

It will be investigated, no doubt, by a police department that reports directly to, and only to the leadership of the APS. Or, it will be investigated by a private investigator, who reports directly to, and only to the leadership of the APS.

The investigation will continue until what ever statutes of limitation that apply, have expired.

Just like they are doing with the investigation of felony criminal misconduct and conspiracy in the leadership of the APS Praetorian Guard, now almost two years ago.


How they continue to get away with this crap, dumbfounds me.

APS taxes teachers

The Journal reports that APS is cutting supply budgets in
an effort to make ends meet. link

As a former APS teacher,
I can tell you that though supply budgets may disappear,
the need for supplies doesn't,
and teachers will be forced to dig into their own pockets
to buy the supplies they need.

No mention was made of any supply budget cuts
at 6400 Uptown Blvd.

They apparently, will have all of the paper they need.

NMRP Chair, Allen Weh's replacement.

Joe Monahan link reports that Allen Weh is looking for his
replacement as the state chair of the NM Republican Party.

According to Monahan, Weh said;

"... I welcome a new chairman...
(one) who has character and integrity ..."

That makes two of us who will welcome that change.

I too, am looking for a state chair who has the character and
the integrity to give due process to my complaint against
Jon Barela .

The current leadership of the NMRP, Allen Weh, and NMRP Rules Committee Chair Lou Melvin, have come up short in the character and integrity department; my complaint has been languishing in some secret hiding place for well over than a month now.

Lou Melvin is ignoring emails and refuses to explain what
she has done with my complaint.

I am told that it will likely be ignored completely.

Will my next complaint, when Barela runs against other
republicans in the February school board elections, and
again refuses to vacate his state office in the NMRP,
as required by the state party rules, be ignored as well?

Seems likely.

Character and integrity in the leadership of the NMRP;

talk is cheap.

My credibility has been questioned.

I aver that, Winston Brooks will not answer legitimate questions, candidly, forthrightly and honestly.

"Anonymous" claims to be a witness and avers that;
Brooks will answer questions, that my "facts" are wrong,
and I need to "update" my blog.

Always willing to do my part; an update on the truth.

The truth and the proof are on Winston Brooks' plate.

All he has to do to prove that
he is willing to tell the truth to stakeholders,
is to tell the truth to stakeholders.

All he has to do is publish on the APS website
the time, the day, and the place
were he will stand still and answer any legitimate question
candidly, forthrightly, and honestly.


cc upon posting superintendent(at)aps.edu

Another silent public forum

APS records APS school board meetings, and then gives an
edited version to TalNet in order to have the meeting broadcast to stakeholders.

They hardly ever seem to get it right.

The more damning the coverage, the more likely that an "accident" will keep the truth from the public.

Last Wednesday, at the public forum of a board meeting,
I repeatedly alleged that

there never has been, and there is not now,
a single member of the leadership of the APS
with the character and the courage to engage in
a public discussion of administrative role modeling
of the student standard of conduct.

And now a reader informs me that, the audio of the entire meeting was missing from the TalNet broadcast of that meeting.

Oops, there must have been another "accident".

Rigo Chavez continues to hide the truth.

A third email has been sent to APS Custodian of Public Records, Rigo Chavez.

First emailed to you October 28, 2008
the second on 11/5/08

Mr. Chavez,

I insist that you stop playing games and identify the private investigation firm that investigated the APS Police Department in late 2006 and or early 2007.

Additionally, I would like to know how many pages there are in their report.

Tax payers pay Rigo Chavez probably $80-90K a year to tell the truth, both as the APS' Director of Communications and as APS' Custodian of Public Records.

Rigo Chavez refuses to reveal the name of the private investigation firm that looked into the public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the leadership of the APS Police Department.

For what reason, except to delay the release of the information until statutes of limitations expire on the criminal activity of senior APS administrators, and the good ol' boys go scot free?

Larry Barker covers another APS scam

KRQE investigative reporter Larry Barker has uncovered
what he calls a "sweet deal" in the APS that has cost
taxpayers more than $43K. link

KRQE says there are others who have used APS facilities
without paying $10K in user fees.

$53K would pay for half of an administrative accountability audit which would reveal the shortcomings in the system that allows these transgressions.

APS Superintendent Winston Brooks is opposed to such
an audit, in my opinion, to cover up for the good ol' boys who
allow and benefit from these and other sweet deals.

No other explanation for his refusal to begin an audit,
has been placed on the table by Brooks or anyone else in
the leadership of the APS.

Bottom line; there is no reason not to do an administrative accountability audit except to protect those whose corruption and incompetence would be exposed by such an audit.

If there were, Brooks and others would not be afraid to discuss the audit on the record, They would stand up and answer legitimate questions about the public interest, and

they steadfastly refuse to do so.

Robert Lucero's Tony Hillerman Middle School

A policy and instruction subcommittee meeting tomorrow morning will revisit the naming process for schools. link

There is a process in place for naming schools; School board policy F.02 link which Robert Lucero would happily ignore.

"Names of new facilities will be determined by the Board after public opinion has been solicited through a committee that includes representation from the Board and the administration, as well as the community, staff and student population of the proposed facility."

Lucero is spearheading an effort to name a middle school
after deceased author, Tony Hillerman.


What the heck, it is only a long standing past practice that protects the rights of stakeholders.

APS plans yard sale; proceeds could easily fund an honest audit.

APS is selling a bunch of used equipment worth $378,000 link
roughly three times as much money as they would need to pay
for a first class audit,

the net result of which would be a annual savings to tax payers
of perhaps millions of dollars.

Just me and the dead guys.

I place a great deal of importance upon role modeling.
Some would say that I place an inordinate amount of importance upon role modeling.

And yet, some would agree with me.

Example has more followers than reason.
John Christian Bovee

The best teachers of humanity are the lives of great men.
Charles H. Fowler

Very few men are wise by their own counsel, or learned by their own teaching. For he that was only taught by himself had a fool for his master.
Ben Johnson

No matter how lofty you are in your department, the responsibility for what your lowliest assistant is doing is yours.
Bessie Rowland James

My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.
Clarence Buddinton Kelland

We need to teach the next generation of children from day one that they are responsible for their lives.
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Nothing is so infectious as example.
Francois De La Rochefoucauld

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts.... A mother has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.
Sophia Loren

And that's just for starters.

These folks would go with me to a board meeting and stand up in favor of a public discussion of role modeling in the leadership of the Albuquerque Public Schools.

Unfortunately, they are for the most part, dead.

There are at least two exceptions; Michael Josephson and United States Senator Pete Domenici. They are both founding fathers of Character Counts!. They sat together years ago and decided that, if we did not teach our children to hold themselves honestly accountable to at least six pillars of character, we will have done them a huge disservice.

Michael Josephson will not stand up at a APS school board meeting and demand a public discussion of role modeling of the Pillars of Character Counts! I have asked him.

I have also asked United States Senator Pete Domenici,
founding father of Character Counts!,
to stand up at a board meeting and defend his found-child.

Josephson and Domenici are not alone in their refusal
to stand up for the Pillars of Character Counts!

I have asked the APS Character Counts! Leadership Council
and APS Character Counts Directors Carole Smith, and
Dee Dee Stroud to stand up in defense of the importance of
role modeling of the Pillars of Character Counts!

I have asked Mayor Marty Chavez, who calls himself a
founding father of Character Counts! to stand up at a
public forum and demand a public discussion of administrative
role modeling of the student standard of conduct.

United States Congresswoman Heather Wilson was asked to step up.

And yet, at the next public forum, when it comes time to stand up and insist upon a candid, forthright, and honest discussion of administrative role modeling of the student standard of conduct,

it will be just me and the dead guys.

The Rules Committee of the NMRP continues to disappoint

Lou Melvin, NMRPRC chair, is still in hiding.

She won't move on a hearing of my complaint against
Jon Barela, and she won't respond to my questions about
her failure. She won't explain to anyone else why the rules
committee has disappeared into secrecy on the issue of
Jon Barela's apparent violation of NMRP rules.

In the absence of a good and ethical reason to delay the
process, and in the absence of any explanation of the delay
at all,

it is fair to assume that Lou Melvin's process is corrupt.

And so is everyone else with their finger in this obfuscation
of justice, and the attendant cover up.

There is more than one reason that republicans were waxed
in this last election,

and this kind of conduct by the leadership of the NMRP
is one of those reasons.

Jon Barela challenged my standing.

I am told that Jon Barela's initial reaction to my complaint
that he violated Republican Party Rules when he ran against
other republicans, for the school board seat, without first
vacating his state office in the NMRP,

was to challenge my standing as a complainant,
arguing that I had "no right" to file a complaint.

This is exactly the good ol' boy behavior that I find so disgusting. Instead of stepping up to the complaint, he apparently wants to except himself from accountability to the rules, by dragging a red herring across the trail.

Well I do have standing as a complainant, and nothing that Jon Barela wants to do about that makes a wit of difference. My standing as a complainant does not play, at least not in any venue where character, and courage, and honor play.

Jon Barela's boat floats in many seas; one of them is the APS. In the APS, Jon Barela is one of the seven most senior role models in the entire district. More than a hundred thousand people look to him to set the example; 87,000 of them are students.

The example that Jon Barela is setting for students is worse than pitiful. Not only is he showing students that they should attack their complainant rather than addressing the complaint, but Jon Barela joins the eight most senior role models in the APS, without the character or the courage to talk about character and courage.

There is not one of them, with the character and the courage to model character and courage. They have all abdicated as role models, and they all steadfastly refuse to explain, defend, deny, or even acknowledge their abdication.

Jon Barela may be good for the good ol' boys,
but he is no good at all,
for 87,000 of our sons and daughters in the APS.

Those kids deserve role models,
those kids need role models;
role models of character, and courage, and honor

not of rule bending, cowardice, and other dishonorable
behavior,

there are more that enough role models of those already.


When George Washington was asked if he had chopped down
the cherry tree, should he have questioned his father's standing
as a complainant?

Is that why we tell the story to our kids?

Apparently, Jon Barela believes that it is.