Susana Martinez (left, courtesy photo) and Diane Denish (photo by Heath Haussamen)
No matter who is elected governor in November, expect the number of exempt or “political” appointees working in state government to drop significantly. Both candidates also plan other steps to reduce the state payroll.
In addition to “immediately” reducing the number of exempt jobs to get rid of positions that were “created purely as political patronage,” Republican gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez said she would restore fiscal health to state government by eliminating the “roughly 3,200” currently vacant positions that are funded in the state budget. She also said she would prefer to cut other jobs through attrition.
Democratic candidate Diane Denish said she would cut the number of exempt jobs back to pre-2003 levels, which would include reducing the number of cabinet secretaries. She said she would offer classified employees one-time buyouts to reduce the state payroll, and would also work with the Legislature to try to close the grandfathering loophole in the recently enacted law that bans “double dipping.”
The context? Lawmakers and Gov. Bill Richardson have already cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the state budget and raised taxes to cover massive deficits. Earlier this week, the chairman of the Legislative Finance Committee said the state is currently facing an $80 million shortfall for the fiscal year that began July 1.That situation could improve or worsen as the year progresses.
For Martinez, this isn’t just a matter of covering deficits. She has said she wants to trim government beyond what’s necessary to balance the budget so the state can also reduce taxes.
With that as the backdrop, here’s the question I asked the gubernatorial candidates:
“Will job cuts be necessary to restore fiscal health to state government? Why or why not? If you plan to cut jobs, how many would you cut, and what specific jobs would you cut? If you don’t believe job cuts are necessary, what specific steps would you take instead to restore fiscal health to state government?”
The responses:
Susana Martinez
“The Richardson/Denish administration has grown government by over 50 percent. We are now facing a massive budget deficit, forcing us to choose between reducing spending or raising taxes. Raising taxes will only further hurt our economy, so I am committed to reducing spending to get our financial house in order. However, I believe we can trim state government down to size without widespread job cuts.
“There are now almost 25 state employees for every 1,000 New Mexicans, which far exceeds the national average of 14 per 1,000. And this massive expansion of government spending has failed, resulting in the loss of nearly 50,000 New Mexico jobs, a school system that fails too many children, rampant corruption and widespread illegal immigration. While this does not mean we need to hand out pink slips to government workers, it does mean that state government must be more efficient, accountable and effective at producing results for taxpayers.
“The first jobs I would eliminate is the roughly 3,200 vacant positions that are funded in our budget. Next, I would reduce the number of political appointees that has grown under the Richardson/Denish administration. Many of these positions are unnecessary and seem to have been created purely as political patronage. These will be immediately eliminated. Beyond that, my preference would be to realize identified efficiencies through attrition, rather than through the elimination of existing positions.
“Like every New Mexico family cutting back in these tough times and living within their means, my administration will ensure state government does the same and focuses on ways to make government work better, not make it bigger, while funding critical priorities such as education and public safety.”
Diane Denish
“Several months ago, my first campaign announcement was a detailed plan to save taxpayers $450 million over the next five years through a series of reforms and efficiencies and without cutting one dime from education or health care. Government simply must tighten its belt while also maintaining high standards of service for our state’s citizens. Given the news this week that the projected budget shortfall is $80 million, my reform plan would more than cover the deficit we face.
“Two key pieces of this plan involve reducing the size of government. First, I would reduce the number of political appointees to pre-2003 authorized levels, including reducing the number of cabinet secretaries. This would save the state about $8.8 million a year. Second, I would offer classified state employees a voluntary one-time buyout based on their years of service. The voluntary buyout is projected to save anywhere between $24 million and $33 million a year.
“These ideas were part of a larger plan that included greater use of video conferencing to cut down on employee travel costs, reducing the state’s car fleet, instituting a government accountability office to root out fraud and abuse, and reforming the capital outlay system. In addition to these ideas, I would work with the Legislature to close the grandfather loophole in the double dipping law. We cannot afford to pay employees twice, and the sooner we can require double dippers to make a choice between a salary or their pension the better.”
You can find Denish’s plan to save $450 million over five years by clicking here.