By MILAN SIMONICH
The Santa Fe New Mexican
So much for sunlight in New Mexico’s most populous county.
A band of bureaucrats, formally known as the Bernalillo County Code of Conduct Review Board, decided a high-profile case Tuesday but then kept the outcome secret.
At issue was whether then-Bernalillo County Commissioner Charlene Pyskoty carried on an improper financial relationship with a high-powered lobbyist who’s married to a newly minted state senator.
The lobbyist is Vanessa Alarid. Her husband, Democrat Moe Maestas, recently was appointed to the Senate on a 3-2 vote of the county commissioners. Instead of abstaining, Pyskoty cast the vote that sent Maestas to the Senate.
It’s a tangled story the conduct board did nothing to clarify, at least not for public consumption.
After a three-hour hearing that was mostly public and 37 minutes of closed-door deliberations, the board declined to announce its decision. Board member Kevin Sanders instead said an opinion on whether Pyskoty committed any misconduct would be released in writing by Feb. 8.
Earlier in the hearing, Sanders said he intended to “kick off” observers who were following the public meeting unless they identified themselves to his board. The ostensible reason was the board didn’t want witnesses listening to testimony of other witnesses.
The one bright spot of the day occurred when a county attorney told Sanders he could not bounce any observer from a public meeting.
Hostility was thick from the start, though neither Pyskoty nor Alarid attended the hearing.
The complainant’s team tried without success to serve a subpoena on Alarid at her home, twice at the state Capitol and through her attorney.
As for Pyskoty, her lawyer, Jacob Candelaria, claimed the board had not given the former commissioner proper notice of the proceeding. He advised Pyskoty to stay away.
Candelaria has a special interest in this case. He used to be a state senator representing a west side district of Bernalillo County. Candelaria resigned from the Senate last fall, then backed his pal Maestas, a longtime member of the House of Representatives, as his successor.
Candelaria requested a delay in the hearing, but the board refused. Sara Berger, the lawyer representing a complainant against Pyskoty, countered by asking the board to grant her side a default judgment.
Board members rejected Berger’s request, too. The hearing went on without Pyskoty’s or Candelaria’s participation.
Berger scored points as she highlighted financial connections between Pyskoty and Alarid. Pyskoty was hurt most by her own campaign manager’s words.
Pyskoty ran for reelection last year, starting in the June Democratic primary. She received an endorsement from Maestas, then a longtime member of the state House of Representatives. Lobbyist Alarid had more to offer than words.
Alarid provided a $5,000 in-kind contribution to help finance a mass mailing for Pyskoty. It was the single-largest donation Pyskoty received.
In a previous tape-recorded statement, Pyskoty said the contribution from Alarid wasn’t done in concert with her campaign. Pyskoty also said she reported Alarid’s assistance as soon as she learned of it on July 7, 2022, one month after Pyskoty lost the primary election.
Tarin Nix, who was Pyskoty’s campaign manager, gave a different account Tuesday. Nix said she designed the mailer, and Alarid covered most of the cost through a print-shop credit.
Nix testified under oath that she discussed the contribution with Pyskoty before the June 7 primary election. “I informed Commissioner Pyskoty that it had to be reported on June 3” to the Secretary of State’s Office as a campaign contribution, Nix said, contradicting her candidate’s story.
After her defeat, Pyskoty had more dealings with Alarid. Deputy Bernalillo County Manager Enrico Gradi testified he met with Pyskoty and Alarid on Aug. 3 regarding a project proposed by Western Albuquerque Land Holdings, a company Alarid represented.
In September, the county commissioners considered a 600-acre development for the company. Pyskoty excused herself from that decision.
Nonetheless, Pyskoty’s acceptance of financial assistance from Alarid bothered Albuquerque resident Carl Peterson, a fellow Democrat. He said he worried that Pyskoty’s acceptance of a large donation from Alarid would be a factor when county commissioners chose Candelaria’s successor.
“There appears to be an inappropriate financial relationship between Vanessa Alarid and County Commissioner Pyskoty,” Peterson wrote in an ethics complaint. “This relationship may improperly influence the business coming before the Bernalillo County Commission with respect to the appointment of Senator Jacob Candelaria’s replacement.”
Pyskoty in November voted to make Maestas a senator. Had Pyskoty recused herself, Maestas’ nomination would have failed on a 2-2 vote.
Inconsistency marked Pyskoty’s positions. She believed she shouldn’t participate in a decision on a company Alarid represented. But when it came to the political ambitions of Alarid’s husband, Pyskoty had no hesitation in helping him.
Berger said donor restrictions under the county code meant Pyskoty could not accept a gift from Alarid of more than $100 or a campaign contribution of more than $1,000.
Candelaria once wrote me to say Pyskoty had paid back the $5,000 contribution. That was false. Pyskoty told me her campaign account was too depleted for reimbursement to occur.
Once the conduct board issues its report, Pyskoty might be censured or hit with other penalties.
Its reach will extend no further. Maestas will still be a senator, and Alarid will continue lobbying, both untouched after all the secrecy.
Ringside Seat is an opinion column about people, politics and news. Contact Milan Simonich at msimonich@sfnewmexican.com or 505.986.3080.
