The outgoing and incoming secretaries of state, both Democratic women, are caught in a war of words over the office’s budget and which one of them is stupider.
Secretary of State-elect Mary Herrera says her predecessor is leaving the office with a $225,000 operating deficit, according to the Albuquerque Tribune. Outgoing Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron says she is leaving a surplus and, if Herrera “had any brains in her head,” she would know that, according to the newspaper.
The state Department of Finance and Administration will look into the situation, but won’t likely get to the secretary of state’s budget until next week.
The office’s budget is almost $4.5 million. Herrera showed the Tribune a budget worksheet dated Dec. 12 that indicates a deficit.
“I’m not making this up,” she told the Tribune. “I’m going off the documents I was given by DFA.”
Vigil-Giron told the newspaper those projections are outdated and provided a new worksheet that shows a $200,000 surplus.
This isn’t the first time the two women have publicly fought. Herrera has criticized Vigil-Giron’s handling of elections repeatedly and called her incompetent. Vigil-Giron told the newspaper Herrera is trying to destroy her reputation.
“Because she has no reputation, she’s trying to destroy mine. That’s her persona,” Vigil-Giron told the Tribune. “I think the party needs to take an issue with the way she’s attacking a fellow Democrat.”
The Tribune article also revealed that the office has a separate issue – $2.2 million in unpaid bills from the 2006 election. Apparently, at least according to Vigil-Giron, the Legislature didn’t appropriate the money last year, and told her to come back and ask for more money once the final cost was known.
A $2.2 million emergency request will go before the Legislature in January, the Tribune reported.
“That’s the only deficiency I have, and it’s because the Legislature didn’t fully fund the election,” Vigil-Giron told the newspaper. “The next time the Legislature wants the secretary of state to do something, they should give us the money to do it. But they prefer to make us go back and beg. It’s pretty ridiculous.”