NM Foundation for Open Government celebrates award winners at annual luncheon

Since 2002, the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, or FOG, has awarded the William S. Dixon First Amendment Freedom Award to those who advance access to open government in the areas of law, journalism, education, government and business. The award honors the late William S. Dixon, a First Amendment advocate and FOG co-founder.

On Tuesday, during FOG’s annual First Amendment Dixon Luncheon at the Sandia Golf Club, five people working in New Mexico became the latest to be recognized for their efforts to ensure that government entities remain transparent to the public. Here are the award winners: Katherine Korte

Chief of Government Affairs for Bernalillo County, Korte previously worked as a reporter and editor at The Associated Press, The Albuquerque Tribune, The Salt Lake Tribune and the Omaha World-Herald. She also served on the Albuquerque Public Schools board from 2011 to 2015. A champion of government transparency, Korte was nominated for her work as an engaged citizen who fought for the public’s right to know about the affairs of governments at any level. One of her key achievements was filing an Open Meetings Act complaint in April with the New Mexico Department of Justice against the Bernalillo County Commission for engaging in a rolling quorum prior to a public meeting.

State law requires all public business to be discussed in an open setting, but FOG said that three county commissioners had discussed a plan to introduce a resolution that would create a search committee to decide how to fill the position of the then vacant county manager. The Department of Justice found that the commission violated the Open Meetings Act over the summer.

“It’s just an honor to be recognized for doing something that is a little scary to do but had to be done,” Korte said.

John Kreienkamp

Currently serving as a hearing examiner at the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, Kreienkamp previously worked for the State Treasurer’s Office, the Office of the Attorney General and the 11th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Through his years working in state government, he has become a strong advocate for government transparency and authored an influential New Mexico Law Review article on how the Inspection of Public Records Acts applies to private entities that hold records on behalf of public bodies.

“It’s very gratifying to be recognized based on the work I’ve done over the course of my career,” Kreienkamp said. “Transparency and open government is really important to me.”

Nathan Small

Elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives in 2017 to represent District 36 in southern New Mexico, Small has been a force for increased transparency and accountability at the Roundhouse. Serving as chair of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, he has opened the budget hearings to include public comments. He also has created subcommittees and work groups, including advocates, agency heads and legislative staff, to meet publicly to discuss their differences on legislative budget recommendations.

Small also has led efforts for the creation of easier-to-understand, one-page graphics on various budget initiatives that would allow the public to better grasp how the state plans to spend its funds. Small also instituted budget guidelines for how analysts evaluated state budget requests that would allow for that information to be posted on the Legislative Finance Committee website.

“During my time in the Roundhouse, I have seen our Legislature become more welcoming, diverse, and transparent. This matters because New Mexicans should be able to see themselves in their elected representatives and deserve to have a voice in both our policies and our processes,” the Las Cruces Democrat wrote in a statement to the Journal. “As Chair of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, I have worked to make transparency a priority in our budget process, too. I am incredibly proud of our work to improve accessibility and accountability in state government and committed to continuing that progress.”

Brittany Costello

A reporter with KOB-TV Channel 4 in Albuquerque, Costello has spent much time working to uncover corruption at numerous state agencies, schools and law enforcement departments. For the past several years, she has zeroed in on the issues confronting the state’s Children, Youth and Families Department and has fought to gain access to public records and hold the agency to account. She has filed public records requests with the Office of the Medical Investigator on the deaths of children from substance exposure.

“It’s really nice to be recognized,” Costello said. “(Journalists) work really hard, and we know the pains of trying to access information, but what we’re doing is really impactful for everyone in New Mexico.”

Debra Mayeux

A cops and courts reporter with the Tri-City Record, Mayeux has been able to shed light on the inner workings of the city of Farmington, Bloomfield Schools, Farmington Municipal Schools and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office through the filings of public record requests. She has also been instrumental in assisting new staff members when it comes to filing records requests and how to navigate the system.

“Government officials work for us and it’s their job to be open, honest and accountable. And it’s a journalist’s job to hold them to that,” she said. “I just feel so honored that my work in this area has been recognized.”