Rep. Joseph Cervantes (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, says the “culture of corruption” in Santa Fe is real and has existed for decades.
He says his unsuccessful attempt to become speaker was motivated by his desire to change the culture in Santa Fe. Cervantes’ comments about corruption, which came during an interview on the radio program News New Mexico, were among the strongest I’ve heard him make publicly.
“It’s horrible,” Cervantes said. “… There’s a great deal of pay to play.”
“You’ve got to be plain deaf, dumb and blind not to see it,” he added. “… It’s a culture of corruption that has existed for decades.”
Cervantes said he believes “most Democrats reject corruption… unethical conduct, play to play,” and the reason Susana Martinez won last year’s gubernatorial race is because she “so soundly rejected those things.”
As one of the most active reformers in the Legislature, Cervantes said he’s ready to reach across the aisle and work with the Republican Martinez to combat corruption. He said he believes the governor is not part of the systemic corruption in state government.
Cervantes said there has been “slow progress” in changing the culture in Santa Fe in recent years. He specifically mentioned legislation he pushed to open legislative conference committees to the public, and the Fraud Against Taxpayers Act, which gives citizens, including government employees, protection and financial incentive to expose government officials and contractors who defraud taxpayers.
Committed to making ‘the big changes in Santa Fe’
Cervantes told News New Mexico that he thinks Speaker Ben Luján made a “terrible mistake” by removing Rep. Andy Nuñez from the position of chairman of the Agriculture and Water Resources Committee “for punitive reasons.” During the wide-ranging interview, he said such leadership is different “than what I hoped to bring to Santa Fe” as speaker.
Cervantes briefly entered the 2008 2nd Congressional District race in December 2007, but dropped out after citing family considerations. Asked today about his future plans, he said he made a commitment then to be an active father to his three daughters and husband to his wife – which means staying in New Mexico, at least for now.
“I’ve committed myself to try to make the big changes in Santa Fe instead of Washington for now,” Cervantes said.
But he gave no hints about whether he might run for higher office in Santa Fe in the near future.