Oversight of Doña Ana County is welcome

The state’s Department of Finance and Administration has ordered additional oversight of Doña Ana County’s spending of state money according to a recent story in the Albuquerque Journal because of “systemic, pervasive, and long-standing failures in Dona Ana County’s management of public funds.” Frankly, I’m glad to hear this.

Between the county’s poor handling of its agreements with Project Jupiter, the really concerning findings in the state auditor’s report, and ongoing transparency problems, I honestly don’t believe the county commission is holding the county manager accountable.

To be clear, this is a leadership problem. County staffers show up every day and work hard. Their leaders need to take all of this more seriously as they engage in high-stakes economic development and work to improve quality of life for residents.

I’m going to be having conversations in the coming months with the people of Chaparral – which is split between two counties – about moving the county line so they can have the continuity they desperately need. That change will help them develop local governance and make progress on public safety, health, economic growth, and so many other critical issues.

The ripple effect of county leadership not taking the audit findings and other issues seriously will be severe. The choices before county leaders are stepping up to help a community like Chaparral grow and thrive, or watching Chaparral continue to languish because leaders won’t do the hard work needed to solve difficult problems.

Believe me when I say that in communities like Chaparral, the choice is literally life and death. I know of folks there whose loved ones have died because an ambulance couldn’t reach them in time. That community is desperate for leaders who will step up.

That starts with a competent, people-focused county government.

County leaders have made some efforts to address the audit and other problems, but not nearly enough. We need our county commissioners and management to work harder than they’ve worked before. We need them to lead.

As a member of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, I fully support DFA’s efforts to force the county to increase rigor, consistency and accountability. It will only make us better as a community.

Sarah Silva is the state representative for House district 53, Doña Ana & Otero counties.