BernCo commission votes State Rep. Maestas to fill state senate vacancy

The Bernalillo County Commission voted to appoint New Mexico State Rep. Antonio “Moe” Maestas to the state Senate seat recently vacated by Jacob Candelaria Tuesday night. Maestas was one of seven applicants for the seat. Other applicants included Julie Radoslovich, Steve Gallegos and Em Ward. “I want to thank every member of the public that […]

BernCo commission votes State Rep. Maestas to fill state senate vacancy

The Bernalillo County Commission voted to appoint New Mexico State Rep. Antonio “Moe” Maestas to the state Senate seat recently vacated by Jacob Candelaria Tuesday night.

Maestas was one of seven applicants for the seat.

Other applicants included Julie Radoslovich, Steve Gallegos and Em Ward.

“I want to thank every member of the public that came both in-person and on Zoom to participate in both tonight’s regular meeting and the appointment for Senate District 26,” Bernalillo County Commission Chairwoman Adriann Barboa said. “We received hundreds of emails about this and public participation is a crucial part of a healthy democracy.”

Barboa said that the County received 66 emails supporting Radoslovich, who was principal at South Valley Academy, 46 emails supporting Maestas and 14 supporting Ward with a few other emails supporting the other contenders. 

The commission approved Maestas on a 3-to-2 vote with Barboa and Debbie O’Malley as the votes against.

Debate over timing

The decision came after a discussion about when the appointment should take place following Candelaria’s Oct. 19 resignation.

At the regular Bernalillo County Commission meeting on Oct. 25, some county commissioners wanted to make the appointment as soon as Oct. 31 which would not leave much time for interested parties to apply for the appointment.

Maestas had shown an interest in Candelaria’s state Senate District 26 seat shortly after Candelaria’s resignation.

There were other county commissioners  who wanted the appointment to be done later into November.

One of the commissioners for an earlier appointment date was outgoing District 5 Bernalillo County Commissioner Charlene Pyskoty who had a letter prepared stating that she and other commissioners wanted an early appointment meeting date.

Objections and resolutions

A verbal objection to the earlier appointment meeting date came from outgoing commissioner O’Malley who called the recommendation for the earlier appointment meeting date “inconsiderate” and “disrespectful.”

Other words were said and O’Malley issued a statement from her campaign email on Oct. 27.

The statement acknowledges that O’Malley should have been more tactful. The Albuquerque Journal reported O’Malley cursed at Pyskoty after that meeting.

“And while I regret confronting Commissioner Pyskoty when angry, I do not regret standing up for the constituents in my District while certain members of the Commission do everything they can to railroad a two-year political appointment to appease a Senator, a Representative, and a corporate Lobbyist who have been plotting this for a year,” the O’Malley email stated.

Pskoty called O’Malley’s email “disingenuous at best, and flagrant hypocrisy and political gamesmanship at its worst.”

“There is no question that Commissioner O’Malley’s unprovoked verbal attack on me, using a

gender-based slur, was deplorable and wrong,” Pyskoty said. “O’Malley compounded the problem by engaging in threatening and disorderly behavior toward my assistant, making things even worse, and sending the message that politically motivated violence is acceptable. One just needs to turn on the news to see that inflammatory rhetoric from an elected official is never ok. Appointments are typically made within a few weeks of a vacancy.”

The O’Malley statement included allegations of the appointment being an “insider deal.”

“It is possible—even likely—that the Commission will sanction this insider deal at the meeting to appoint, and I have no choice but to accept the majority vote, but appointing a State Senator is a very big deal. Vacancies in the Senate are a rare occurrence,” the O’Malley email stated.

If Maestas is appointed to Candelaria’s seat, a state house seat will then be open and another appointment will have to be made.

Pyskoty said that despite the allegations of a back-room deal, there was none on her part.

“Senate District 26 is on the opposite end of the county from my district,” Pyskoty said. “I have no special relationship with Rep. Moe Maestas.”

To help prevent such issues from recurring, the Bernalillo County Commission first approved on a 3-to-2 margin a Legislative Office Appointment Policy stating that the Bernalillo County Commission will appoint a replacement legislator within three weeks of receiving a notice that a legislator has resigned.

Barboa and O’Malley voted against the resolution.

The next resolution discussed was a resolution affirming public officers’ responsibilities and ethical conduct of public officers.

The resolution was put forth by Pyskoty following the heated interaction between herself and O’Malley that ended with O’Malley calling Pyskoty a bad name as the Bernalillo County Commission chambers were clearing following the meeting’s adjournment.

O’Malley abstained, she said, because she was mentioned in the resolution.

“Whereas, following the conclusion of the Bernalillo County Commission Administrative Meeting on October 25, 2022, and within the County Commission Chambers, Commissioner Debbie O’Malley spoke to Commissioner Charlene E. Pyskoty in a manner inconsistent with the standards of the Code of Conduct,” the resolution states. “Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Board of County Commissioners, the governing body of the County of Bernalillo, that the Bernalillo County Commissioners censure such communications and affirm the standards of public service set out by the Code of Conduct.”

The resolution passed 3-to-1-to-1 with Barboa being the sole vote against and O’Malley abstaining.

We're ad free

That means that we rely on support from readers like you. Help us keep reporting on the most important New Mexico Stories by donating today.

Related

Lujan Grisham pocket vetoes two bills

Lujan Grisham pocket vetoes two bills

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham pocket vetoed two bills the legislature passed this legislative session: one changing the Cybersecurity Act and the other concerning law…
Gov signs bills with some vetoes 

Gov signs bills with some vetoes 

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed 69 bills that the legislature passed during the 2024 legislative session. These included the General Appropriations Act which contains…
Guv signs state budget

Guv signs state budget

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the budget bill for Fiscal Year 2025 and the Capital Outlay spending bill. The FY25 state budget bill passed…
Advocates travel to D.C. to push for additional protections for the Gila River

Advocates travel to D.C. to push for additional protections for the Gila River

New Mexico advocates seeking to have the Gila River designated as a Wild and Scenic River will travel to Washington D.C. this week to…

NM Supreme Court annuls $10,000 penalty in PNM/Avangrid merger case

The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a penalty the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission levied against the state’s largest utility was…
State fines oil company more than $2 million after spill

State fines oil company more than $2 million after spill

The Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department fined an oil and gas company operating in the Permian Basin more than $2 million over produced…
Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican The main things that bring Brayan Chavez to school every day: Seeing, talking to and engaging with…
Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican Brittany Behenna Griffith has a laundry list of adjectives to describe the ideal special education teacher:…
Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican A challenging task awaits New Mexico lawmakers in the next 30 days: Reconciling three very different…
Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Friday $10 million in funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act was awarded to six tribal nations and…
Proposal to curb executive powers moves to House Judiciary

Proposal to curb executive powers moves to House Judiciary

The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee discussed a potential constitutional amendment that seeks to limit the governor’s executive powers. The committee approved…
Supreme Court censures attorney over conduct in anti-COVID policy suits

Supreme Court censures attorney over conduct in anti-COVID policy suits

The New Mexico State Supreme Court censured a New Mexico attorney because of her “misconduct” in two unsuccessful cases pushing back on COVID-19 regulations…
Supreme Court to hear two abortion cases this spring

Supreme Court to hear two abortion cases this spring

Later this month, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the case against the abortion medication mifepristone. It will hear a second…
How Biden, others highlighted reproductive rights at the State of the Union

How Biden, others highlighted reproductive rights at the State of the Union

President Joe Biden highlighted reproductive rights issues as part of his State of the Union speech Thursday. Biden delivered his 2024 State of the…
Stansbury invites OB-GYN doctor as her state of the union guest 

Stansbury invites OB-GYN doctor as her state of the union guest 

U.S. House of Rep. Melanie Stansbury has invited an OB-GYN doctor from Roswell as her guest for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union…
Supreme Court to hear two abortion cases this spring

Supreme Court to hear two abortion cases this spring

Later this month, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the case against the abortion medication mifepristone. It will hear a second…
How Biden, others highlighted reproductive rights at the State of the Union

How Biden, others highlighted reproductive rights at the State of the Union

President Joe Biden highlighted reproductive rights issues as part of his State of the Union speech Thursday. Biden delivered his 2024 State of the…
Stansbury invites OB-GYN doctor as her state of the union guest 

Stansbury invites OB-GYN doctor as her state of the union guest 

U.S. House of Rep. Melanie Stansbury has invited an OB-GYN doctor from Roswell as her guest for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union…
See who’s going to be on your primary ballot in June

See who’s going to be on your primary ballot in June

Tuesday marked the official beginning of the 2024 New Mexico primary season for the legislature, with candidates officially filing for candidacy. This is the…

Bill to require disclosure of use of AI in campaign materials goes to governor

The Senate approved a bill aiming to require the disclosure of the use of artificial intelligence or other changes made by computers to campaign…
House amends, passes bill banning firearms near polling places

House amends, passes bill banning firearms near polling places

The House narrowly approved a bill that would ban firearms near polling places. The House voted 35-34 to pass the bill following an extensive…
Advocates travel to D.C. to push for additional protections for the Gila River

Advocates travel to D.C. to push for additional protections for the Gila River

New Mexico advocates seeking to have the Gila River designated as a Wild and Scenic River will travel to Washington D.C. this week to…
U.S. Supreme Court lets ban on Couy Griffin from holding office stand

U.S. Supreme Court lets ban on Couy Griffin from holding office stand

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of a Republican official who was barred from holding office after being convicted for a…
Politics Newsletter: legislative leaders not running for reelection

Politics Newsletter: legislative leaders not running for reelection

Hello fellow political junkies! Candidate filing day has come and gone, and members of House and Senate leadership opted to either not seek reelection…

GET INVOLVED

© 2023 New Mexico Political Report