Bernalillo County’s ethics board has another two cases on its docket.
County Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada last week filed a pair of complaints against his colleagues, current County Commissioner Adriann Barboa and former County Commissioner Debbie O’Malley.
Both somehow relate to the commission’s recent appointments to the New Mexico Legislature. That includes a November vote to send Antonio “Moe” Maestas to the state Senate, filling a vacancy created by Jacob Candelaria’s resignation; and a January vote to fill Maestas’ former House of Representatives seat with Yanira Gurrola.
Quezada contends that Barboa violated the county’s code of conduct by not disclosing that she’s a registered lobbyist in New Mexico and recusing herself from the decision to appoint Gurrola.
The complaint alleges Barboa had a “substantial financial interest in making an appointment to the State Legislature that will benefit her clients’ interests, and thus her own personal financial interests.”
Barboa voted with the 3-2 majority to pick Gurrola over several other candidates, while Quezada was in the opposition.
In his complaint against O’Malley, Quezada references O’Malley calling then-Commissioner Charlene Pyskoty “a bitch” during the aftermath of a tense Oct. 24 commission meeting. The two had disagreed during the meeting about the timeline for picking Candelaria’s replacement.
“This conduct is abusive and makes the County Commission an unsafe space for women,” Quezada’s complaint says, citing a county code of conduct provision requiring that public servants “treat the public and each other with respect.”
The county’s Code of Conduct Review Board will hold preliminary hearings on both complaints on Feb. 13.
