![\"Guest](\"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Guest-column.jpg\" "\\"Guest")
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\u201cA people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.\u201d – Dwight D. Eisenhower <\/a><\/em><\/p>\n There may be those who believe that New Mexico state government has come close to losing both. There is no doubt that we have seen instances where some elected officials and state employees have valued privileges above principles in the past few years. It must stop.<\/p>\n These individuals have weakened the public trust, and that is unacceptable. The question is, what\u2019s to be done?<\/p>\n There is no doubt that some New Mexicans have lost faith in their state government and the burden is on all of us in elected office to earn it back. We must create in Santa Fe a culture of duty, a culture of transparency. A culture of responsibility.<\/p>\n Establishing the Governmental Standards Commission<\/strong><\/p>\n First, we must establish a Governmental Standards Commission. This will be an independent commission, similar to the judiciary\u2019s Judicial Standards Commission<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Governmental Standards Commission will have the authority to investigate ethics complaints and will be armed with subpoena power to get straight answers from government officials. It will have the authority to impose stiff penalties on those found guilty of wrongdoing.<\/p>\n But in addition to investigating complaints and punishing those who abuse the public\u2019s trust, we must also make sure that everyone who works on the taxpayers\u2019 dime understands the responsibility they assume as a public servant. New Mexico state employees must agree not only to always obey the law — but to always conduct themselves in an open, honest and transparent manner.<\/p>\n In order to earn the trust of the people they serve, public employees must be held to the highest standard.<\/p>\n Second, this Governmental Standards Commission will be responsible for establishing a uniform code of governmental standards that will apply to all state officials, state employees and appointees. The commission will develop a mandatory training programs on the governmental standards so all state employees understand these ethical standards.<\/p>\n The great majority of people in government want to do the right thing, but there may be times when they are unsure of what is the right thing. Education and training can help provide the foundation needed to deal with difficult situations.<\/p>\n The New Mexico Supreme Court will nominate a pool of candidates from which members of the commission will be selected by the executive and legislative branches. This non-partisan pool of candidates, selected by the court, will help take politics out of the selection process — and eliminate some the problems confronted by establishing such a commission in the past.<\/p>\n Creating a sunshine portal<\/strong><\/p>\n The third step in the process is to establish a state sunshine portal, an online command center to ensure that state government is open and transparent. The sunshine portal will:<\/p>\n \u2022 allow the press and public to see how tax dollars are spent by agencies.<\/p>\n \u2022 track capital outlay projects from appropriation to expenditure.<\/p>\n \u2022 list all scheduled open meetings.<\/p>\n \u2022 include an accessible contractor database.<\/p>\n \u2022 allow the press and public to review all state-issued contracts.<\/p>\n \u2022 include a statebook networking site where all state employees with decision making capacity will have a page including their responsibilities and contact information.<\/p>\n \u2022 include a salary database for exempt employees.<\/p>\n \u2022 include a section for constituents to voice opinions.<\/p>\n![\"Denish,](\"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Denish-Diane.jpg\" "\\"Denish,")
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