NMFOG News
Join us for our fifth-annual CLE!
Public Records and Open Meetings: Looking for Sunlight! Register for FOG’s fifth-annual Continuing Legal Education seminar for attorneys, public officials, journalists and citizens. Approval pending for 6 continuing education credits, including 1 ethics credit. Continuing Legal Education Thursday, May 5, 2016 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Albuquerque Journal 7777 Jefferson St. NE Albuquerque, NM 87109 Read More …
Transparency promotes economic development, research confirms.
With a struggling economy and the highest unemployment in the nation, New Mexico business leaders say it’s time for more open-government reforms. New polling finds that shedding a light on campaign finance reports, lobbyist spending, and political contributions would help to prevent corruption and build both public trust and investor confidence in our state. Two-thirds Read More …
FOG Sends Letter to Legislative Leadership
FOG has received complaints from the media and the public following a closed-door meeting of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee. As a result, FOG has emailed and hand delivered a letter to Speaker of the House Don L. Tripp and Senate President Pro Tempore Mary Kay Papen urging the Legislature to (1) clarify ambiguous language Read More …
Campaign Finance Reporting Bill Advances
Today at the Roundhouse, the House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee voted unanimously in favor of HB105 sponsored by Rep. Jim Smith (R-Sandia Park). FOG spoke in support of the bill, which would require improved campaign finance reporting technology on the Secretary of State’s website. Currently, campaign finance reports housed on the Secretary of Read More …
2015 FOG Year In Review
Your generosity and enthusiasm for transparency have helped make FOG’s 25th-anniversary year a tremendous success. FOG fights for your right to know throughout New Mexico, and we do it on an annual budget of just over $100,000, with only our full-time executive director, Susan Boe; our part-time membership director, Shannon Kunkel; and our panel of Read More …
Center for Public Integrity Gives New Mexico a D-
UPDATED: Listen to the KUNM call-in show with Gwyneth Doland analyzing New Mexico’s scorecard. A new scorecard released by The Center for Public Integrity today gave New Mexico an overall ‘D-‘ for transparency and accountability in state government. Most troubling, our state received an ‘F’ for Public Access to Information. The study illustrates the need for Read More …
Did diocese’s auctioneer mislead bankruptcy judge?
Published in the Gallup Independent, Gallup, N.M., Oct. 14, 2015 By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola Independent correspondent religion@gallupindependent.com ALBUQUERQUE — When U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David T. Thuma made his decision not to invalidate the Diocese of Gallup’s property auction in Albuquerque after the public and media were barred from attending, Thuma said he based his Read More …
Thank you for making our Dixon Lunch a tremendous success!
Our 25th anniversary year First Amendment Dixon Awards Lunch was our best event yet – and it’s all thanks to our wonderful supporters like you! We hope you enjoyed the FOG 25-year history video. Thanks to Kent Walz, Rep. Jim Dines, Terri Cole, and Roger Thompson Voiceover for their participation. Thanks to Charles “Bazz” Read More …
FOG urges Clovis Schools to release report about coach
FOG sent the following letter yesterday urging the Clovis Municipal Schools to release all documents under IPRA regarding possible suspension of its high school football coach: October 1, 2015 Kyle Snider President, Clovis Municipal Schools kyle.snider@clovis-schools-org Jody Balch Superintendent, Clovis Municipal Schools jody.balch@clovis-schools-org Re: Inspection of Public Records Request Dear Messieurs Snider and Balch: I am writing on Read More …
FOG talks with Iraqi visitors about their burgeoning democracy
I had the honor of speaking with a group of leaders from Northern Iraq, who are traveling through America as part of an initiative led by the U.S. State Department and Global Ties ABQ, a nonprofit dedicated to building bridges of international awareness and understanding among the people of New Mexico and emerging leaders from Read More …