Hart-Stebbins to introduce transparency measure

Games are being played with the agendas for meetings of the Bernalillo County Commission. State law requires that agendas be posted a minimum of 24 hours before the meeting. Apparently, that requirement is being routinely skirted.

Commissioner Alan Armijo went so far as to express outrage that anyone should be concerned about what he described as a routine practice of Commissioner bringing up "pet projects" when ever they feel like it.

County Commissioner
Maggie Hart-Stebbins is
my representative on the
Commission. I wrote an email
to her conveying my outrage
over Armijo's remarks and the
practice of skirting the law.

She responded (quoted here
in significant part);

"It has long bothered me that items appear on the agenda at the last moment. That's not fair to the public or to those of us who have to vote.

I will propose new administrative rules that clarify our procedures and ask for at least three days advance notice on agenda items. I think I will have 3 votes to do it."

Stakeholders who believe they are entitled to more notice than the bare minimum required by the letter of the law, and those who believe the agendas should be posted on the internet in addition to posting them in the County Commission Offices should take a moment to email Commissioner Hart-Stebbins to thank her for her support of transparency, and another email to their own Commissioner to urge them to support her initiative.




photo Mark Bralley