Martin Luther King Jr. State Commission
Special Meeting Minutes – Monday January 11, 2021
- Call to Order at 1:00 PM
- Roll Call
Exec. Dir. Waites (present)
Deputy Secretary Sharon Pino for Secretary of State Toulouse Oliver (present)
Treasurer Tim Eichenberg (present)
Clarence Smith (present)
Kimberly Woodley (present)
Kalee Salazar (present)
Terry Tolbert (present)
Stacey Blakemore (absent)
Rev. Garland Moore (present)
Dr. Bobbie Green (present)
Chairman Oscar Robinson (absent)
- A quorum has been established.
- Approval of Agenda – Motion to approve by Kimberly Woodley, seconded by Clarence Smith. Agenda approved by roll call vote.
- Approval of Minutes – Motion to approve by Terry Tolbert, seconded by Kimberly Woodley. Minutes approved by roll call vote.
- Community Input – Hasana Olujimi mentioned that the Commission Facebook page has not been updated. Dir Waites responded that the Commission does not have paid staff to monitor and/or update social media, including the website. Dir. Waites pointed out that he is a “one-man show” and the only employee in the MLK Office covering as many bases as he can. The hiring freeze has delayed the hiring process.
Treasurer Eichenberg asked why the current job opening had not been filled. Director Waites responded that some of the the MLK Commission met with Chief of Staff, Teresa Casados at the end of September 2020 and were told that there was a hiring freeze. To date there has been no change.
Julia Olivas from the Bernalillo County Treasurer’s Office inquired about upcoming MLK events. Dr. Green noted a virtual event sponsored by the MLK Commission and the Dona Ana County NAACP which would air an original speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr in his own words, followed by a panel discussion. Dir Waites, Senator Harold Pope, Jr., District Attorney Gerald Byers and Las Cruces City Councilor Johana Bencomo have confirmed that they will serve as panelists. Commissioner Smith noted that Grants Chapel in ABQ, and other organizations throughout the State have scheduled MLK Day Commemorations.
Commissioner Kimberly Woodley offered a bit of trivia. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was in Cleveland, OH in 1968, shortly before he was assassinated. He kissed a baby during a rally he attended, and that baby was none other than future MLK Commissioner, Kimberly Woodley. The bit of trivia was fitting.
- Unfinished Business
- Discussion/vote on MLK Commission & City of Albuquerque Commemoration – Dir. Waites received an email response from Scott Carreathers who is with the City of ABQ, Office of Equity and Inclusion. They have pulled their request for funding. Motion to pull the request from Clarence Smith. Seconded by Rev. Garland Moore.
During discussion on the motion, Sharon Pino requested that the email response from the City of ABQ be shared with the Commission before proceeding with the vote. Dir. Waites pointed out that he made the original request for $20,000 in funding, and the Commission requested additional information prior to proceeding with a vote on the proposal. The City of ABQ then stated that there wasn’t enough time for advertising, and that they had not been able to find potential partners and/or donor to contribute matching funds. In light of the fact that the City of ABQ decided not to proceed, the motion to pull the funding proposal for the City of ABQ, Office of Equity and Inclusion passed by roll call vote.
- New Business – None
- Next Meeting – March 12, 2021
- Announcements/Acknowledgments
Attorney Chris Moander announced that he circulated an email on December 23, 2020 to the Commissioners which provided a recommended response to State Auditor. He also requested feedback from the Commissioners. Attorney Moander stated that development of policies and procedures will address the concerns raise by the Auditor. Dr. Green recommended a few adjustments to language of the response.
Commissioner Woodley pointed out that the Commission has just now been able to complete the audits. And, the findings in each of the audits were incrementally released within a few weeks of each other. The same findings were repeated in each of the audits from 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, but the audits could not be completed by the current Commission administration until the investigation of the previous Commission administration was completed. All of the audits for the past four years, were eventually completed in 2020. Only recently was the Commission allowed to catch up on the audits and now we are able to proceed with the development of policies and procedures. The community has been led to believe that the problems with the audits occurred over four years, which is misleading. This has led to a misunderstanding and public relations issues with some community members.
Commissioner Smith noted that several other concerns have been raised by community members regarding administrative tasks which the Director has had to address single-handedly during a pandemic and a hiring freeze. Those administrative tasks, coupled with numerous IPRA requests, and the fact the new Budget person which has been contracted by the Commission is not yet on board, have made it difficult to get the work of the Commission accomplished. Commissioner Smith stated that when the focus is redirected towards positive outcomes, the audit exceptions have been addressed and policies and procedures are implemented, he believes that the Commission will be perceived in a more positive light by the Community.
Director Waites noted that the Budgeting person will start very soon, and he should be able to alleviate some of the Auditor’s concerns and will be able to respond to many of the issues raised. The Director stated that he has been under a great deal of stress, but it doesn’t have to be that way. He looks forward to implementing policies and procedures to address all issues raised by the Auditor as developed by the Finance Committee and other members of the Commission in conjunction with the Budget person. Dir Waites looks forward to directing his focus toward the vision and mission of the MLK Commission. He will hire an additional staff person, as soon as possible, to relieve some of the stress and the current tasks that need to be addressed so that he can focus on progressing the goals of the Commission, including more community outreach and plans for the upcoming Youth Conference.
Attorney Moander suggested a proactive, rather than a reactive approach and a corrective action plan to be implemented by June 30th. Attorney Moander also suggested that he work together with the Ethics Subcommittee and the Finance Subcommittee to implement the corrective action plan. Attorney Moander will accept final feedback from the Commission and will send the updated response from the Commission to the Auditor.
Director Waites announced that he will make a report to the LFC on Tuesday, January 26th at 1:30 PM. Director Waites will follow up with a confirmation of date and time. Treasurer Eichenberg noted that the LFC meeting will be virtual
No other announcements.
- Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 1:57 PM.
Submitted by
Bobbie Green,
NM MLK Jr. State Commission Secretary
