Alleged conflicts, e-mail misuse plague Herrera

Bernalillo County Clerk Mary Herrera, the Democrat’s candidate for secretary of state, is under fire because two of her campaign workers also work in her clerk’s office.

Vickie Perea, the Republican in the race, told KOAT-TV in Albuquerque that she is “very concerned” because two county clerk employees – Diane Brown and Daniel Gutierrez – also work for Herrera’s campaign. Perea said those employees have a stake – beyond getting an accurate count – in the results of the votes they’ll be tallying.

Herrera countered in the news report that the employees don’t do campaign work on county time, but didn’t directly address the concern raised by Perea.

The Bernalillo County code of ethics says employees should stay away from activity that affects the “independence of judgment or action in the performance of official duties,” according to KOAT.

It should also be noted that Perea’s second cousin works in the clerk’s office, but he doesn’t work on her campaign. He’s the brother of big-shot Democrat Manny Aragon.

Earlier this month, Perea accused Herrera of misusing taxpayer money by sending out a campaign e-mail from her government e-mail address.

That is absolutely a misuse of a government e-mail address. Politicians should never use those addresses to campaign.

It’s not unusual for employees of elected county officials to work on their campaigns. Such is often the practice in Doña Ana County.

But when it’s the elections office we’re talking about, Perea brings up a good point: Can those employees remain impartial when counting votes, when deciding whether to accept provisional ballots? Can they be trusted to remain ethical?

While we’re on the topic of this race, in a debate last week both candidates vowed to push for a state law requiring New Mexico voters to show photo ID before voting, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

It’s no surprise that Perea sides with her party on this issue. Herrera’s position, however, was a bit of a shock. She cautioned that such a law would have to ensure that no one’s right to vote it taken away, according to the Journal.

At the debate, Perea called Herrera’s position “a political conversion for expediency,” according to the Journal. Herrera claimed she has been a longtime proponent of voter ID.

Thanks to the Wednesday Morning QB for providing the video of the KOAT report.