KRQE’s Larry Barker has uncovered an example of corruption in both the City of Albuquerque and State of New Mexico governments. Ironically, while what happened is clearly illegal under current State law, voters’ (misguided) decision to pass Amendment 2 on Election Day seems to allow for future deals like this one.
The Duke City Gladiators may be named after Albuquerque, but they play in Rio Rancho. That didn’t stop the City of Albuquerque (seemingly just Mayor Keller) from using City and State capital outlay dollars meant for use in the City ($239,622) to fund a turf field for the team.
Using Albuquerque $$ for a Rio Rancho project is problematic enough, but the spending is clearly for private use (Gladiators) of public property (Gladiator’s field) without compensation which is a violation of the “Anti-Donation Clause” of the State Constitution.
Ironically, State voters JUST decided to weaken New Mexico Constitution’s anti-donation clause (which disallows the use of tax dollars for private benefit). The Rio Grande Foundation argued against the change in advance of the vote due to the very real potential for corruption as sign in this example.
This is very wrong Democrats have done illegal things while in office ,like MLG misspending of tax dollars on herself also the 10 million that was released to helping poor new Mexicans was misuse of funding as well I only make $357 a month in TANF benefits for me n my daughter to live on and I was denied the $400 rebate money saying I made more then others in need ,but I qualified on all other stimulus checks until I started bashing MLG on social media n all of a sudden I get denied also 47,750 application were approved,that’s $9.9 million dollars where did the other $100 thousand go?in MLG pockets? I want to know and need that investigated
MLG’s fellow democrat’s in the Legislature give our failed governor $100,000 per year in one of the poorest states in the country for her to spend as she see’s fit. Under state law anything other than stealing the money is allowed. Thus the governor’s staff are frequent customer’s at Trader Joe’s in SF. Plenty of Wagyu beef and tequila to be bought on the taxpayer dollar. We need a state auditor who will audit both political parties. So MLG delivered NM to 50th in Education, that’s her top budgetary goal, alleged spending on education so NM is last in the country. What do we the taxpayer get for our Oil and gas revenue? We get Alleged spending on education so to be 50th.