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By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Burqueño voters will decide in November whether to take away the mayor’s sole power to hire and fire the city attorney and city clerk.
The Albuquerque City Council approved companion measures sponsored by Council Vice President Dan Champine on Monday, Aug. 3, to place a charter amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot. Council passed Proposition P-26-2 on a 6-3 vote and Resolution R-26-30, which sets the ballot language, on a 5-3 vote. The proposal would create a four-member selection committee split evenly between mayoral and council appointees to recruit candidates for both positions. The City Council would need a two-thirds vote to confirm appointments, and interim appointments would be limited to 270 days. Under the proposal, the mayor can remove either official at any time by notifying the council. In contrast, the City Council can remove an interim city attorney with seven votes.
Champine, who first introduced the measures in May, said the changes would protect the city’s top lawyer and record keeper from political pressure. “These roles should never be subject to political pressure or partisan tug-of-war,” Champine said in a statement.
A City spokesperson pushed back, calling the proposal “ill-conceived” and warning it would grow government and cost taxpayers more, the Mayor’s Office said in a statement. Councilors Brook Bassan, Nichole Rogers and Council President Klarissa Peña voted against both measures. Councilor Dan Lewis was absent for the vote on Resolution R-26-30.
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