KOAT TV interviewed Paul Gessing of the Rio Grande Foundation and House Minority Leader Jim Townsend in covering this story. What can you say about the horrible management of tax payer money???!! Thank you KOAT TV for this report! I am also thankful for Paul Gessing and Jim Townsend speaking out for the tax payers of New Mexico.
KOAT TV REPORTS: According to a Legislative Finance Committee report the state of New Mexico is paying $18 million a year for unused office space. The money is fueled by taxpayers.
“You’re not dealing with a loss in government. You’re dealing with the taxpayer dollar. And we want those taxpayer dollars to be used appropriately in the state of New Mexico,” said Paul Gessing, who is pictured.
New Mexico taxpayers are paying $18 million for unused state office space
Hard to beleive that Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham won reelection. There are calls for GOP leader Steve Pearce to step down. I think that is way overdue. If the GOP cannot beat one of the worst governors New Mexico has ever had, it shows they have big problems starting at the top. The GOP is failing big time in swaying DEMS and Independents over there side. Peace acts like he is leading the top party in the state, I have had problems with Pearce dating back to when I was on the Board of the Arc of NM, when he blew us off when we flew into D.C. for a scheduled meeting with him, he was on the golf course! From my KKIM radio days I have a bit off a list of grievances about Pearce. They also need much better candidates! If Pearce managed a baseball team, he would have been fired seasons ago! I have to say that GOP leader Jim Townsend would make a great governor! The GOP should have done better than the weatherman with no experience in the workings of government business. I cannot beleive that Ronchetti would boast about his endorsement from Trump when he is not the going to get you any votes from the other side by doing that! DUMB MOVE! Trump is disliked by what? 50% of the people in New Mexico? Let it soak in, the GOP got beat be one of the worst governors ever in New Mexico. Some Republicans asking Steve Pearce to step down as New Mexico party chair
Almost a year ago I retired from NM state government. I can attest first hand that, notwithstanding already-existing questionable leasing and building decisions, the current administration’s response to COVID-19 had much to do with the sudden turn to telework (working from home) for many state employees. Immediately on or about March 17, 2020, all the employees in my department were authorized use of a state VPN, allowed to take a laptop home and began mandatory telework to avoid contact with each other. Even after mandatory telework started becoming relaxed, voluntary telework became the policy, and for those who wanted to work at the office, the conditions of working there were intense. One had to be fully vaccinated (and prove it) or test every week or so (and prove it), the public wasn’t allowed in the buildings, meetings and even formal hearings were routinely held via the internet, workers had to adhere to limited hours with justification for even being in the office, and distancing, PPE and all of the usual abatement requirements such as masking were required. On the other hand, if one requested continued work from home, none of that was required, travel and lunch time was reduced or eliminated, and the convenience was undeniable. Frankly, the choice was easy. I appreciated the opportunity to telework, considering how difficult in-office work had become. At the time of my retirement, my office was in the Springer Building in Albuquerque. The building was still unused by almost all state employees. Teleworking, when already-trained employees remain in place, can be effective – considering the use of cellular telephones for work instead of being tied to a landline; however, problems begin as soon as vacancies and the need for hiring staff occurs. Training someone you can’t even routinely meet with is somewhat difficult and less efficient under the COVID-19 restrictions and the existing, localized work culture erodes. Even management teams lose cohesion when every meeting over a two-year period is on the phone or internet. I think there is a place for telework in the modern workforce, so I’m not simply complaining about this, but there clearly needs to be a reconsideration as to office leases for state employees based on a statewide telework policy that works best when it isn’t changed every four or eight years depending on election results. While it may not be popular to say, recent funding of the state’s budgets have been strong, including not only oil & gas revenues, but federal COVID-19 funding to state agencies. It will be interesting to see how this all moves forward given the continuing crackdown on drilling and ceasing of federal COVID-19 funding.