By what stretch of the imagination do the concepts ofgovernment of the people,by the people andfor the peopleallow the leadership of the APS to refuse to answer these three questions;why will they not surrender the ethically redacted public records of their investigations into felony criminal misconduct by senior APS administrators.why are hundreds of whistle blower complaints being denied due process; executive review of administrative self-adjudication of complaints, andwhy are school board members and administrators not honestly...
Martinez, by and through Barela; no comment
In a meeting held in secret from stakeholders, the NMFA Board fired their CEO, link.Barela, waving.When Economic Development Secretary Jon Barela was asked to tell the truth about the spending of public power and resources in that meeting in secret, he offered "no comment". He added, it's a "personnel matter"."Personnel matter" is a widely used and utterly misconstrued exception to public records and open meetings law.Pols and...
Charlie Moore mum
Journal City Editor Charlie Moore has had more than enough time to respond to the email I sent him.Journal Investigative Reporter Thom Cole had informed me that he had forwarded to Moore, my several allegations and evidence of an ethics and accountability scandal in the leadership of the APS, link.All I want Moore to do is acknowledge the receipt and state his intentions with regard to investigating and reporting upon them.He is apparently...
Input of police sought, input of teachers not so much
In the Journal this morning, link, we find that the Albuquerque Police Officers Association intends to survey union members on the state of their department.Except for the fact that they're ignoring equally valuable input from union non-members, it's a great step forward in data gathering. I have long wondered why our respect for the intellect, education, training and experience of police officers never extended to their opinions on the problems in their profession and department.I have wondered longer, why the intellect,...
Perry and Berry will need "several months" to do the job
The City of Albuquerque Chief Administrative Officer Rob Perry and Mayor Richard Berry have just released a preliminary draft, link, of the Matrix Report on city government's efficiency and effectiveness. Perry, in the forward he penned, is quite insistent that the report is preliminary, subject to modification, addition and change, and matters of opinion. Both the city and the mayor are specifically and explicitly not accountable...
Matrix investigation for APS?
The City of Albuquerque just invested a couple of hundred thousand dollars in an independent review of city government. The draft version is online, link. From the report;"The Matrix Consulting Group was retained by the City of Albuquerque to conduct an Organizational Design Project. ... This study was designed to provide an assessment of the efficiency and effectiveness of City operations, identifying strengths and improvement...
Journal editors wonder; what purpose does timeliness serve, exactly?
APS found out about a couple of students who planned to shoot up their school, on a Wednesday. They reported the situation to parents on Friday and to the media for in time for late on a Friday coverage - coincidentally, the best time to release inconvenient news. Journal editors are not only alright with that, they offer extra credit.Journal editors report, link, that by the time parents were informed;"...the system kicked into high gear in the right way, with police inquiries and psychological threat assessments,...
Does the Caswell Report even exist?
I'm beginning to wonder if the Caswell Report even exists.I called Robert Caswell Investigations and asked them to confirm or deny that they had investigated allegations of felony criminal misconduct by APS senior administrators. The gentleman I spoke to, who never identified himself to me, claimed he could lose his license for answering the question with a simple yes or no.I asked if recent changes in the Inspection of Public Records...
Dear Education Secretary-Designate Skandera
It was recently wondered aloud, whether Education Secretary-Designate Hanna Skandera could be talked into suspending the APS Board of Education like she did the one in Questa.It is an interesting question worthy of pursuing in an open letter to the Secretary-Designate.What have we got to loose? Dear Secretary Skandera,I write in the hope that you will intervene in a situation quite similar to the situation in Questa; a school board failing...
Paula Maes' behavior is disgraceful
APS School Board President Paula Maes is the very senior-most role model in the entire APS.She once said, in an open meeting and on the record, that she would never agree to any audit that individually identified corrupt or incompetent administrators.Since then, she, the rest of the board and senior administration have been hiding the Caswell Report; the final report on an investigation into felony criminal misconduct by senior APS administrators;...
Hillerman bullies have no criminal record
If you ask the kids at Tony Hillerman Middle School, the two students recently arrested for planning to shoot them on December 12, are widely known as miscreants and bullies.Yet KRQE reports, link, the would be shooters have no criminal record. Bullying' assault is a criminal act; battery is a criminal act.Why do they have no criminal record? It is no accident that these two have never been handed over to the law for their criminal acts. ...
What if they threw a board meeting and no board members showed?
The two fora on bullying were billed as "board meetings"; board members attendance mandatory. At the west side Bullying Prevention forum, only two board members showed up; David Peercy and Kathy Korte.Also conspicuous in his absence APS Supt Winston Brooks.Aside from that, the meetings were largely indistinguishable and classic APS; feel-good doing no good. Again, Brooks et al, expected participants to do their work without...
Journal "ombudsman" Thom Cole - not so much
Journal investigative reporter Thom Cole claimed, via an ad in the online Journal, that he was our "ombudsman"; that he would pry loose public records for us.Admittedly just for drill, I emailed him and offered an opportunity for him to make good on his boast by prying loose any, even one, of the public records of a number of investigations into public corruption, incompetence, and felony criminal misconduct in the leadership of the APS (police force). So far, no response.Cole is not the first investigative reporter asked...
Few surprises at bullying forum.
I was surprised that APS Executive Director of Communications Monica Armenta was in attendance but played no role. I would argue that communications would be a huge part of any solution to bullying.I was surprised that I was allowed in without any harassment from APS' Chief of Police Steve Tellez or one of his underlings.I did feel shadowed all night.I've been told I'm just being paranoid;though not without reason, link.I was surprised...
APS web team earns another Sunny Award
... the second this year.According to agenda for the regular board meeting tonight; Albuquerque Public Schools Web Team has earned the national Sunny Award, which recognizes government organizations for an exemplary job of disclosing information to the public with a transparent website.Nothing has changed since they won the first Sunny in March of this year, link; if you visit their "award winning" website, you still will find neither;a...
Journal editors ambivalent about role modeling.
In the Journal this morning, the editors link, laid laud on APD Chief Ray Schultz. Justly, they point out that Schultz wasn't just another clown on a scooter in the State Fair Parade; he was on patrol when his number was called to protect and serve. He risked life and limb on our behalf; I for one, am grateful.And I agree with the editors; ... it is heartening to get a concrete example from the top what real community policing involves.In...
Jennings not so thrilled with Gardner's apology
In the Journal this morning, link, we find there is some discrepancy between Governor Susana Martinez' spokesman Scott Darnell's account of the relationship between the Governor's Chief of Staff Keith Gardner and State Senate President Pro Temp Tim Jennings.Darnell has offered a manifestly dishonest characterization of the damage done, insisting; Jennings and Gardner"have been able to work together, ... This was a private conversation from...
Should Shultz have engaged his lapel camera?
APD Chief Ray Schultz requires his subordinates to turn on their lapel cameras whenever they interact with the public; like for instance when they are arresting a drunk driver in the process of running over (the toes of) parade watchers, link.His policy recognizes there are circumstances that make it impossible or imprudent to be trying to turn a camera, during especially fast developing situations, for example.But, just because the camera...
Bullying fora begin
Two fora are scheduled, link, one tomorrow, Tuesday Sept 18 and another Thursday the 20th. The rules are simple;The meetings will include work in small groups, where attendees will discuss identification of bullying situations and possible solutions.Small groups means divide and conquer; allow no one to accumulate support for any position contrary to the position(s) board members and senior administrators support.Noteworthy; the identification...
APS moves to tighten monopoly on e-credits
It's no secret that APS Supt Winston Brooks and the board see charter schools as a threat to their monopoly on education here in River City. The Journal reports this morning, link, Albuquerque Public Schools students soon could find it much tougher to get credit for online classes from schools outside the district.The move, according to the Journal, was prompted by an incident a few months ago when a student upset the district by taking an online course over a weekend. Brooks filed a complaint with the NMPED hoping...
Keith Gardner is a "cocksucker"
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APS meetings in secret, not recorded
The APS School Board often meets in secret from public knowledge. They do so in accordance with the Open Meetings Act.They make no record of meetings they call "executive sessions"; no videotape, not even an audio record is made.That is convenient if they choose to break the law during one of their in-secret meetings.The board conducted an in-secret executive session during the Audit Committee Meeting on August 25, 2010.After the meeting,...
APS School Board enforcer tells union leader to shut up
Those weren't APS School Board enforcer Marty Esquivel's actual words. His actual words are difficult to discern because once again, our investment in at least two warm bodies and thousands and thousands of dollars worth of recording equipment has failed to produce a legible record of an APS School Board meeting.Once again, the recording of a school board member embarrassing them self has been somehow been corrupted or lost. APS no longer...
APS/Discovery Ed Contract provides for secret keeping
APS just signed an $11,334,977.84 contract for techbooks (electronic textbooks) with a company called Discovery Education. The contract includes "professional development services" in the amount of $1,117,500.00."The contract, link, contains a paragraph I found interesting, emphasis added;10. Discovery understands that government entities, such as Subscriber, may be required to disclose information pursuant to applicable open records acts. In all other respects, all provisions of this Agreement (“Confidential Information”)...
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