It looks like Governor Richardson has himself in a bit of a pickle. He convened an ethics task force to come up with some recommendations for reform, and they did. For example, here’s one that just makes common sense:
“The Task Force recommends that the state auditor have certain minimum qualifications. For instance, the state auditor could be required to be a certified public accountant, which would ensure sufficient knowledge of the auditing function and respect within the industry.” (Governor Richardson’s Task Force on Ethics Reform: Report of Recommendations, page 19; emphasis added).
The state auditor should be a certified public accountant. That seems like pretty simple and reasonable logic to me. Who could possibly disagree?
“Lorenzo Garcia is a certified public accountant with 30 years experience in high-level financial and leadership positions while Hector Balderas has no experience or education whatsoever as an accountant,” said Jonah Cohen, spokesman for the Republican Party of New Mexico. “It’s a simple deduction from the Ethics Task Force’s recommendations that Lorenzo Garcia should be our next State Auditor. Of the two candidates, Garcia is the only one that meets their recommended qualifications for the position.”
“Were Richardson sincere about his support for the Ethics Task Force, he’d support Lorenzo Garcia for State Auditor,” added Cohen.
Guess we don’t have to wait until the next legislative session to find out what Governor Richardson’s thinks about the recommendations of his blue ribbon task force. I wonder how much that exercise in futility cost the taxpayers?