Six to receive 2022 William S. Dixon First Amendment Freedom Award – Las Cruces Sun-News

From Staff Reports| Las Cruces Sun-News

ALBUQUERQUE - The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government has chosen six New Mexicans as the recipients of its 2022 William S. Dixon First Amendment Freedom Awards. The awards are annually presented to those New Mexicans who believe in government transparency at the state or local level and who have made significant contributions to casting sunshine (transparency) in government operations in the state.

Dixon Award winners will be honored with a Dixon Award event set for Oct. 6, 2022 at the Albuquerque Marriott Hotel on Louisiana Boulevard in Albuquerque.

For many years, FOG has honored those New Mexicans who believe that open government is good government, Kathi Bearden, FOG president, said. This years group acted on their beliefs instead of giving lip service to transparency and accountability. Their actions changed policies, procedures and allow everyone to participate in government.

The 2022 Dixon Recipients Are:

Byrons nomination focused on his dogged citizen advocacy for the Hobbs City Commission to adopt video streaming and archiving of commission meetings activism that began in 2015 and continues today. The city has repeatedly and proudly cited it as a means of government transparency and citizen engagement and in a March 2022, column entitled City of Hobbs resilient in the face of COVID shutdowns, Hobbs Mayor Cobb noted the streaming service would be reaching its sixth year. Not only the programs inception, but its longevity, is thanks in large part to Marshals work to protect and strengthen open government. This is an interesting turnaround for the city as when Marshal first suggested the policy, it was met with resistance by the then-city manager and members of the city commission. His contribution to transparency and accountability extends to efforts regarding the citys paid-time-off policy and employee cash payouts associated with the citys new PTO policy. His persistent efforts have inspired many other Hobbs residents to inform and involve themselves in local government.

Albuquerque Attorney Thomas Grover has an extensive record as a litigator for individuals who have been unable to secure public records. His vast knowledge pertaining to the IPRA & OMA assists his clients in understanding their rights. "(IPRA) is my favorite four-letter word, said Grover, who has successfully sued the cities, counties and others for noncompliance with the IPRA. His actions have resulted in changes in procedures by records custodians and public bodies, including the Albuquerque Police Department which now provides disciplinary records of investigation of officers. In 2019, Grover was the attorney when his client was awarded $40,000 in his lawsuit against the City of Espanola for withholding records and another client awarded $180,000 in a suit against APD. Grover also represented a retired Santa Fe Police lieutenant in her lawsuit against that agency. A district judge ordered the city to pay that plaintiff for failing to comply with a public records request.

This recipient specifically used the law, the attorney general and advice from NMFOG to hold APS accountable. She has worked to enforce the public's right to review records, even when the records were held in part by a private organization acting on the public entitys behalf. Through Ms. Hager's efforts, she was able to change how the state's largest school district handled employee promotions and raises changing a system that was onerous and detrimental to individual employees. Before her questions about public records, the AFT union acted as a de facto human relations department for APS when looking at promotions and raises for non-teachers. Now, APS is handling its own process. Her career path has taken her from banking to work as a hospital Child Life Specialist at Daytons Childrens Hospital, as well as an intern at the Family Support Center at Andrews Air Force Base. She has worked at Carlos Rey Elementary and Desert Ridge Middle School and is now the school counselor at North Star Elementary School. This recipient is a member of the APS Counseling Leadership Committee and was named the 2018-19 APS Elementary School Counselor of the Year and the 2022-23 NM School Counselor of the Year.

Marian Matthews is a State Representative for House District 27. A staunchadvocate for better government and transparency, she has become a tireless advocate to push back against CYFDs cloak of secrecy and works to ensure this department becomes more transparent. In 2021, Rep. Matthews was critical in calling out CYFD for their failure to be forthcoming and transparent with the public, resulting in a scathing multi-page memo from the LFC identifying multiple systematic concerns about transparency and accessibility. Since her time assuming office in 2021, she has been honest, approachable, and direct in her dedication and commitment to shine light on this agency and hold this public entity accountable. She is a model legislator for leading with ethics. She continues to be a champion as she works to create an independent and autonomous office of the ombudsman, as well as amend public disclosure laws, and ensure that the confidentiality clause in the childrens code protects the children and families impacted by the department, and not the department itself. She began her career as a journalist and newspaper reporter in Springfield, MO, and then in Alamogordo, NM.

As the executive director of the New Mexico Commission for the Blind, Greg Trapp has worked vigorously to ensure equal access, accountability and transparency in the Commission and for other state agencies and boards.

Mr. Trapp was on the front lines at the beginning of the COVID lockdown, petitioning the Attorney General to ensure public access, including those with disabilities, to meetings, materials and records. He worked with the AG to develop that agencys Open Government Division Advisory on how public bodies could comply with IPRA and OMA during the pandemic. He worked to draft language for procedures for his organization and other state agencies to make the process less cumbersome. His efforts were evident long before Covid. Mr. Trapp is considered a stickler for detail including adhering to all aspects of the OMA before, during and following meetings. He was worked to nudge other boards and agencies, including those on which he serves, to follow the law. His efforts include directing staff to build an electronic bulletin board that allows the public to receive emailed updates of legal notices, agendas and other meeting materials.

Vincent Rodriguez is the leader of the pack when it comes to watchdog journalism in the KOAT TV 7 newsroom. Hes currently the digital media manager and previously was an assignment editor. He takes time daily to make sure the staff understands the power of an open records request and what is available just by asking. He created a system to track when IPRAs are sent and the responses if any, they receive. In December 2021, when a child was shot and killed in Rio Rancho, the city refused to turn over documents. For months into 2022, the station told our viewers what we asked for and what was denied. When the city used the childrens code to deny documents, He helped to explain how the city was using the childrens code to justify not turning over documents. Eventually, the AG sided with KOAT and the station let the public know the city was reversing course based on our persistence. He instills in the newsroom knowledge about the law and makes sure other employees know its not just for the media its for citizens. If a New Mexican has a problem and theyre not getting answers, he walks them through how to get what they are afforded through sunshine laws. He is the person in the newsroom that questions everything and teaches others to question everything.

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Six to receive 2022 William S. Dixon First Amendment Freedom Award - Las Cruces Sun-News