ABQ isn’t a “strong” mayor city, it’s run by the AFSCME union, just ask the Mayor

If you don’t like the way things work in the City of Albuquerque, don’t blame Mayor Keller or City Council (at least that’s what the Mayor himself says), blame the AFSCME government employee union.

This is an enlightening KUNM story in which Mayor Tim Keller touts the benefits of working for the City and highlights the need for more city workers. It is a fairly trivial article until the following:

Critics from the Rio Grande Foundation and dating back to President Franklin Roosevelt have expressed concern about the mere principal of allowing government employees to unionize. Keller appears to be taking the issue to another level by stating that Albuquerque is “an AFSCME run city.”

Setting aside whether AFSCME is doing a good job, allowing a private organization (formed for the benefit of its dues paying members) is not a healthy thing for governance or democracy.