BernCo Commission

The five member Bernalillo County Commission is engulfed in dysfunction and division as the progressive majority battles with two conservative-minded commissioners. 

While the infighting has gained particular attention for its impact on the selection of a new County Manager, it is also impacting the overall county government, contends a longtime BernCo employee who requested anonymity to bring us their insider perspective.

Joe, 2,500 Bernalillo County employees are watching with dismay as county leadership goes down in flames and fear of retaliation rules the day. And if the chaos continues it could impact the many projects and people who depend on sound management of the county’s $1 billion budget. Some highlights: 

Most of the county’s employees are embarrassed and furious at the three progressive county commissioners, Eric Olivas, Adriann Barboa and Barbara Baca, who hid their extensive secret communications regarding the county manager search and are continuing to mislead about whether they are breaking the county’s Code of Conduct by dictating day to day management of the county. 

Blog Note: The Attorney General ordered the commission to redo the meeting where they approved the process for picking a new manager, saying the majority progressive commissioners pre-planned the agreement before the official meeting. 

Our anger has nothing to do with whether we are fans of Commissioner Michael Quezada or Republican Commissioner Walt Benson who have opposed the progressive majority. Most of us are not political. We are here because we are qualified and we simply want to do our jobs and be respected. Nor does it have to do with the fact that the three commissioners needlessly pushed out a popular county manager before her contract was up. (But that didn’t help.) 

It has to do with the fact that they broke the law and they don’t seem to care. All because they couldn’t wait to get rid of County Manager Julie Morgas Baca and get their hands on county employees and county money and change policy and procedures. Virtually every employee has a story about how the three commissioners have inserted themselves in matters they have no knowledge of. Most are too afraid to put our names on a formal complaint. 

It’s currently happening with the proposed new Behavioral Health Ordinance which Commissioners Barboa and Olivas are trying to ram through against staff recommendations. In that case, experienced employees are terrified for their safety because of the dangerous “No Wrong Door” and other proposed policies. Those who have spoken against it have said in commission meetings that they fear being retaliated against. If pushed through, there could be an exodus of employees and finding folks who want to do that work is not easy. So there could be fewer behavioral health workers and people in the community will suffer.

Blog Note: The ordinance says "the overarching mission shall be to institute a no-wrong-door approach where those seeking behavioral health care or related support services of any kind in our region may enter the system at any point and receive access to the high-quality care they need."

ACTING WITH SMUGNESS?

Chairwoman Baca

There are many other examples of projects that the three have tried to alter or delay for their own political reasons. At least Chairwoman and Commissioner Baca apologized for violating the trust of the employees and the public by breaking the law on the manager search. But we all see the dismissive way she treats her fellow commissioners (Quezada and Benson).

She and the other two act with the smugness of knowing they have three votes no matter what policies they propose. Employees suspect that they will eagerly hire a county manager who, unlike Julie Baca, does not care about retaining senior staff and will not listen to facts and informed opinions, and who will let the commissioners dictate policy and make personnel decisions (all against the Code of Conduct, which explicitly prohibits this). 

If that is the case, you will see many employees leave or retire early. I’m talking about senior “protected” staff with years of experience that the county will not be able to easily replace. Nor quickly replace, since an internal audit of our Human Resources department shows the county currently has a shocking 30 percent vacancy rate and takes up to 182 days to bring on a new employee.

None of this is how Bernalillo County has operated in the years I have been here, or in anyone else’s institutional memory. I have never known anyone to be afraid of retaliation for doing their job. The county has always been a great place to work. I'm worried about the long term impact on the county and its ability to carry out crucial tasks and meet legal requirements. For other opinions, here is a link to employee responses to a survey about the county manager search.

The preceding was from a veteran Bernalillo County employee. We welcome differing points of view on the controversies at the BernCo Commission.  

 HIGH-STAKES WORK

Bergman and Richardson

Former Gov. Bill Richardson's high-stakes negotiations to free political prisoners around the globe is brought to life in a new book authored by the man who was at this side during those drama filled years. We get this on a public event for the new book set for today:

Author event with Mickey Bergman "In the Shadows: True Stories of High-Stakes Negotiations to Free Americans Captured Abroad.”  

Books on the Bosque 6261 Riverside Plaza Lane, Ste. A-2 Albuquerque
will host author Mickey Bergman on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at 5:30 pm.

Mickey Bergman directs Global Reach and the Richardson Center for Global Engagement nongovernmental, nonprofit organizations that negotiate the release of political prisoners and hostages around the world. A special-operations veteran of the Israel Defense Forces, he has spent the past decade freeing Americans from some of the most complex and insulated countries on earth, including Iran, North Korea, Russia, Venezuela, Syria, Gambia and Sudan. He is an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Walsh school of Foreign Service, where his graduate courses focus on the art of emotional intelligence in international relations. He was nominated for the 2019 and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize alongside former Governor Bill Richardson.

Quote from Brittney Griner (WNBA and Olympic star; freed from wrongful detainment in Russia.

“Mickey and Governor Richardson are a big part of why I’m home. They traveled to Russia, put their own lives at risk, called on their deep relationships, and educated and communicated compassionately with my family and my team – whatever it took to bring me home. I am still astounded by their passion, experience and deep commitment to the cause of reuniting families.” 

Richardson died last September at the age of 75.

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