Deming city councilors agree to ethics disclosures

Two members of Deming's City Council have resolved civil complaints brought by the State Ethics Commission related to their businesses' contracts with the city.

Additionally, City Manager Aaron Sera and his spouse have sold their interests in the Rio Mimbres Corp., which owns the Rio Mimbres Country Club. The golf course where it resides is owned by the city.

The SEC agreed to settle alleged violations of the Governmental Conduct Act with the council members paying minor fines and disclosing their stake in businesses under contract with the city.

The SEC, a state agency, announced the settlements in a news release Wednesday, one day after early voting began in a contest where City Councilors Joe "Butter" Milo and Irma Rodriguez are seeking new terms in contested elections.

Rodriguez, who has served in office since 2019 and is seeking reelection on Nov. 4, allegedly failed to disclose her ownership stake in Triadic Enterprises, a Deming-based company that provides software and invoicing services for government entities, including the City of Deming.

Rodriguez told the Journal she became a partial owner of Triadic in 2018, while the company has provided services for the city for decades. Though she said she had been open about her ownership of the company, and it had been disclosed to financial auditors and reported by local news outlets, she said, "The SEC felt it wasn't quite enough for the public, so we went a step further." She described the process as amicable.

According to a verbal settlement agreement, in August Rodriguez paid a $500 fine and the city committed to updating its website to disclose her relationship to the firm. When Triadic's contract is up for renewal, Rodriguez said it would bid competitively for a new agreement and she would recuse herself from those discussions and votes.

"The SEC has a job and I appreciate that job," she said. "We want to be in compliance with ethics (laws)."

Milo has served on the City Council for over 30 years and is also seeking reelection on Nov. 4. He is the owner of J&J Printing, which has long provided services to the city. The SEC alleged that he did not properly disclose his ownership interest when it came to city business with his shop. Milo said he thought that was well-known throughout the community, telling the Journal, "This never came up before."

The agency also alleged Milo did not recuse himself from a vote affecting the Rio Mimbres Corp., in which he and his spouse owned stock. In his own settlement with the SEC, Milo agreed that he and his spouse would dispose of their interest in the organization, disclose his ownership of the printing business on the city website and pay $200.

The settlements resolve civil actions the SEC initiated in June.

Milo said he had nothing to add to the settlement: "Everything's said and done."

Neither Rodriguez nor Milo admitted to wrongdoing in settling with the SEC.

No formal settlement was negotiated with Sera, who oversaw the city's takeover of the golf course last year. Sera and his spouse also owned stock in the Rio Mimbres Corp., but later disposed of it. Sera told the Journal, "When they found out that I had already relinquished my rights to (Rio Mimbres), they considered the matter closed."

"These resolutions reflect not only the Commission's work, but also the good-faith efforts of these officials to come into full compliance with state ethics laws," SEC Executive Director Jeremy Farris stated in a news release. "Each showed integrity and professionalism when the Commission reached out, and their cooperation exemplifies how public officials can work constructively to uphold public trust."