ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The New Mexico Department of Justice is investigating claims that the Bernalillo County Commission violated meeting rules. This comes after a commission meeting when the board passed a resolution outlining a new county commissioner selection process.
Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada ended up walking out of that meeting, claiming he and commissioner Walt Benson had no say in the process. The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government says it received calls claiming commissioners Barbara Baca, Adriann Barboa, and Eric Olivas had a plan already in place before the meeting about the selection process. NMFOG says if true, that would be a violation of New Mexico’s Open Meeting Act.
The NMDOJ is now asking the board to submit all communication made between commission members prior to the meeting relating to the county manager selection process.