New Mexico Foundation for Open Government announces Dixon Award recipients

New Mexicans on the frontlines fighting for open government will be recognized next month.

The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government on Monday announced the recipients of the 2025 Dixon First Amendment Freedom Awards, who will be honored at a banquet on Oct. 2. Proceeds from the luncheon and silent auction at the Sandia Casino Golf Event's Center will benefit NMFOG.

“The Dixon Awards celebrate the vital work of citizens across New Mexico who make sure open and transparent government is more than just lip service,” said Daniel Russell, chair of the Dixon Awards Committee. “Those being honored are among the best at turning that principle into reality — by exercising the rights we all have — and ensuring everyone has access to their government."

This year's Lifetime Achievement Awards will go to the Lang family, of the Albuquerque Journal, and Kathi Bearden, the retired publisher of the Hobbs News-Sun.

The Lang/Pepperday family has owned and published the Journal for the last 99 years. During that time, the Lang family helped found NMFOG, and the Journal and NMFOG have joined forces on numerous lawsuits against public entities that illegally withheld public records.

Bearden was the publisher of the Hobbs News-Sun for more than 20 years. She also served as NMFOG's president several times.

The other Dixon recipients are:

Government category

Katherine Garcia-Gallegos, records custodian and Inspection of Public Records Act manager, city of Santa Fe: Garcia-Gallegos established the Santa Fe's Records Department to put traffic reports online, which accounted for about 80% of the city's public records requests. The move significantly reduced the volumes of requests and eased the workload for the department, making it easier for the public to access records.

Rep. Sarah Silva, D-Las Cruces: The first-year lawmaker introduced a bill requiring lobbyists to disclose the legislation they were paid to influence and who funded those efforts. The bill passed both chambers but was vetoed by the governor. She also introduced a bill protecting journalists from being forced to reveal confidential sources. The measure stalled in committee.

Media category

Diego Lopez, editor, Cibola Citizen: As editor in December 2024, Lopez began a series of articles about the Cibola County Commission, who had nominated a state representative to fill a vacancy in a different district. The nominee planned to give up his current seat and changed his address on his voter registration to become eligible for the vacancy. After the New Mexico Department of Justice confirmed he didn't live in the district, the governor rejected his nomination and someone else was appointed.

Milan Simonich, columnist, Santa Fe New Mexican: After decades of work holding politicians accountable, Simonich is being recognized for spotlighting free speech issues after the University of New Mexico police charged a student group $10,000 to host a controversial speaker. He also covered a meeting during which state senators forced a reporter to leave the public meeting and he reported on settlements the NMDOJ — which enforces IPRA — paid for violating open records laws.

Additional information about the awards and the event is available at nmfog.org.