Albuquerque Journal

Quezada complains against commission­er Barboa

He says she’s lobbying improperly; she takes a shot at his comedy

- BY CATHY COOK

Bernalillo County District 2 Commission­er Steven Michael Quezada submitted an informal ethics complaint with the State Ethics Commission centering on District 3 Commission­er Adriann Barboa’s work as a lobbyist. Quezada is also asking the County Compliance Office to investigat­e a set of allegation­s focused on how commission­ers communicat­e with county staff.

Informal ethics complaint

Barboa works for Forward Together, a reproducti­ve justice organizati­on, and for years has lobbied on behalf of Forward Together at the state Legislatur­e.

Lobbyists have to register or renew their registrati­on with the Secretary of State’s Office prior to lobbying.

Quezada’s complaint alleges that Barboa began lobbying for Forward Together in January before registerin­g as a lobbyist in February. The complaint also alleges that “Barboa may have violated the Government­al Conduct Act by leveraging her position as a Bernalillo County Commission­er to advocate for interests aligned with her employer, Forward Together, without clear authorizat­ion or alignment with Bernalillo County’s priorities,” and claims she hindered the county’s legislativ­e advocacy efforts.” Steven Michael Quezada’s latest ethics complaint against me deserves the same eye roll and groan that his jokes get,” Barboa said in a statement. “While he’s been wasting time and taxpayer dollars filing four politicall­y motivated ethics complaints against me, I’ve been busy working hard for my constituen­ts.”

Along with being a county commission­er, Quezada is also a stand-up comedian and actor.

Quezada has a history of filing ethics complaints against his fellow commission­ers with the Bernalillo County Compliance Office. Some have resulted in findings, and others have been dismissed.

In 2023, Quezada filed an ethics complaint with the Bernalillo County Compliance Office alleging that Barboa violated the county code of conduct by not disclosing her role as a registered lobbyist and not recusing herself from a vote on filling a state House seat. The Bernalillo County Code of Conduct Review Board dismissed that complaint.

Compliance Office concerns

In April, Bernalillo County’s Chief Compliance Officer Rocky Gutierrez asked the Bernalillo County Commission­ers to withdraw the resolution outlining the county manager hiring process. The commission did not.

Gutierrez’s letter said that the Compliance Office had received anonymous and informal complaints related to: alleged retaliatio­n in the form of alteration of job roles; allegedly directing staff to override the will of the Board of County Commission outside of a public meeting; actions potentiall­y bypassing county rules and procedures, including rules for board appointmen­ts; and alleged unauthoriz­ed direct communicat­ion, sidesteppi­ng hierarchy by directing and instructin­g nonreporti­ng personnel.

In a letter dated May 7, Quezada asked the Bernalillo County Compliance Office to investigat­e those allegation­s. The Compliance Office told Quezada that it would conduct a thorough investigat­ion, Quezada said.

Commission­er Walt Benson said that he agrees with Quezada’s request for an investigat­ion and his ethics complaint. Benson tried to start a discussion of the Chief Compliance Officer’s letter during an April 23 commission meeting.

 ?? ?? Steven Michael Quezada
Steven Michael Quezada
 ?? ?? Adriann Barboa
Adriann Barboa

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