​WATCH: Full interview with Kathleen Sabo, executive director of New Mexico Ethics Watch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2, 2020
Contact: Kathleen Sabo, Executive Director, 505-274-2442 or ksabo@nmethicswatch.org

In 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, bringing a swift end to WWII. This action, however, came at a cost: many thousands of Japanese citizens died from the explosion, and many more died from radiation poisoning. Today, we are still left with the questions, “Was that the right move? Were the means justified by the end?”. Regardless of any answer, there is no way to judge without a standard by which to make that judgement. If we are to determine means that truly justify the end, we must gather all information on the subject, define who or what defines correct ethics, and conclude what a true end looks like.

Across the world, millions of people suffer injustices caused by unethical practices every day. They are treated poorly, tricked into unfair contracts, robbed of their humanity, blackmailed into submission, and hurt in countless other ways as those in power institute practices that take advantage of the weak and vulnerable. Such practices degrade society and the human race as a whole. In order to counter that degradation, it is necessary to fully understand what it is to “be ethical.”

​The five current commissioners will hold their second meeting in Las Cruces, on August 2, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The meeting will be held at the NM Dept. of Agriculture, 3190 S. Espina St., Las Cruces, NM 88001.

You can find the agenda here

Following the final appointments by legislative leaders and the governor, the four legislatively-appointed commissioners are looking to fill the final two commission spots.  (Information about how to apply electronically or by mail can be found here.)

The five commissioners to date:
Retired Judge William F. Lang, (D), Commission Chair, appointed by the governor
Former NM Governor Garrey Carruthers, (R), appointed by NM  State Senate Minority Leader Stuart Ingle
Judy Villanueva, (R), appointed by NM State House Minority Leader James Townsend

Stuart Bluestone, (D), appointed by NM State House Speaker Brian Egolf

Frances Williams, (D), appointed by NM State Senate President Mary Kay Papen

On July 15th, NMEW held what will become an annual event, Ethics in New Mexico: Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, Where We’re Going, featuring panelists Stuart Bluestone, newly-appointed NM Ethics Commission member and former Chief Deputy NM Attorney General, former NM State Senator and award-winning author Dede Feldman, and former Chief Justice of the NM Supreme Court and NMEW Board Chair, Richard Bosson. (You can read what the ABQ Journal reported about the event and discussion here.)