COMMENTARY:
Russia was still the USSR in 1991 when Pete Campos began his first term in the New Mexico Senate. The World Wide Web had just become available to everyone, and Nirvana created a new genre of music with the album “Nevermind.”
Campos has held several paid jobs during his time in the Legislature, most in the fields of education or local government. Those are two of the few occupations where the boss doesn’t mind frequent absences, because they are funded by the state.
Like many veteran senators serving in the rural parts of the state, Campos usually gets re-elected every four years without much of a fight. He’s only had one Republican opponent in the last four elections.
It’s safe to say the current system of an unpaid Legislature has worked out well for Sen. Campos. In a recent Albuquerque Journal story about Constitutional Amendment 4, which would provide legislators with a salary - just like every other state in the nation, he explained his opposition.
“Serving in the Legislature is not for everyone,” Campos said. “It’s a lot of money out of pocket, but you build those lasting relationships.”
There it is. He just admitted that if you don’t have money, you can’t run for office in New Mexico. And, the second part of his statement seems to suggest that if you do have money, serving in the Legislature is a good investment because of the “lasting relationships.” With who, lobbyists?
It may seem counter-intuitive, but some of the most vocal opponents of Constitutional Amendment 4 are the very lawmakers who would seem to benefit from it. That’s because they don’t want the competition it would bring.
And, they’re getting just what they want now; 38 of the 70 House races this year are uncontested. The Senate is not up for re-election this year, but in 2024 voters in only 15 of the 42 districts had a choice on election day.
In the same article, Campos complained that a legislative salary would, “attract people who are going to be attracted by a full-time position in politics.” I assume that when he says "politics" what he means is government. Senators only have to run for office once every four years, and even then they often get a free pass.
But yes, we absolutely do want to attract people who are seeking a full-time position in government. The state budget last year was $11.1 billion. The responsibility for overseeing that should not be a part-time, volunteer gig.
Beyond just the budget, competent legislators should also have a basic understanding of health care laws, insurance laws, environmental laws, utilities, public safety, housing, education and a myriad of other subjects.
I understand why Campos used the word “politics” instead of “government.” All of the ads against Constitutional Amendment 4 are playing on our intense dislike of politicians. We’ll show those rascals by refusing to pay them.
What the viewer doesn’t understand is that those rascals are probably the ones who paid for the ad. If not, they certainly support it.
Constitutional Amendment 4 isn’t perfect. I wish it also included attendance requirements. And, the Legislature needs to pass ethics reform to prevent lawmakers from voting on bills where they have a clear conflict of interest.
Our unpaid, part-time Legislature is not serving us well. We need to let more people into the process so that voters have better choices on election day..
Walter Rubel can be reached at waltrubel@gmail.com
Walt Rubel’s opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of KRWG Public Media or NMSU.