» Gov. blasts Senate for not voting on Skandera

Gov. blasts Senate for not voting on Skandera

SANTA FE – The 60-day legislative session ended Saturday without a vote to confirm Education Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera, but the chairwoman of the committee where the vote is stalled said hearings for Skandera will continue through the year.

Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, meanwhile, blasted the Democratic-led confirmation process in the Senate that has delayed Skandera’s confirmation vote since Skandera was appointed to the post in January 2011.

Sen. Linda Lopez, D-Albuquerque, the Rules Committee chairwoman who hosted three confirmation hearings that totaled more than 10 hours over the past two weeks, said her committee struggled to find time to meet during the chaotic final hours of the session and cast a final vote.

Through the final days of the legislative session, Lopez said she remained “optimistic” that Skandera’s confirmation would go to a vote in time.

Skandera, however, said no contact was made to arrange a hearing.

Now, Lopez said her Rules Committee will plan to extend its confirmation hearings beyond the legislative session.

“We had an opportunity to have some dialogue and conversation, discussion. We will still continue,” Lopez said Saturday.

“The Rules Committee meets year round, so we’ll hopefully have an opportunity to continue the questioning, conversations with regard to Hanna Skandera,” she said.

However, no final action can be taken until the Legislature returns to session in January 2014, unless a special session is called.

The governor said Saturday that she was disappointed by the drawn-out confirmation process for Skandera and described the committee hearings held during this year’s session a “circus.”

“If anyone doubted just how low the politics could go in Santa Fe, they would need to look no further than that circus,” Martinez said. “And look at the ridiculous statements by the committee chair that they just didn’t have time to get around to the confirmation for more than two years now.”

Before coming to New Mexico, Skandera worked as an education policy adviser in California, Texas, Florida and Washington D.C., including a stint as deputy commissioner of education under former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Educators have criticized Skandera’s nomination as education secretary, saying her lack of classroom experience violates a state constitutional requirement for an educator to direct the state’s Public Education Department.

Journal staff writer Deborah Baker contributed to this report.