For Immediate Release
August 15, 2018

“Last night the Albuquerque Democracy Dollars initiative was dealt an unexpected last-minute blow by three members of the Bernalillo County Commission. Community advocates had been reaching out to the entire County Commission and their staff for weeks and were led to believe that last night’s vote was simply an administrative process to place the proposition, signed by more than 28,000 of their constituents, on this November’s ballot.

“Instead, the Commission debated the details of the proposal rather than respecting the will of the over 28,000 voters who signed the petition. Had we known that the Commission would vote to overrule the voice of the public, we would have engaged those more than 28,000 supporters to attend the hearing. Public comment from those who signed the petition was not part of the hearing and the Commission’s vote raises many questions about their respect for transparency and public involvement in this important decision. We respectfully request a fair and transparent public hearing on the ballot question in the form of a special meeting of the Bernalillo County Commission on the evening of Tuesday, August 21, 2018.

“We also encourage all signers and constituents of the commission’s three dissenting votes, Commissioners Steven Michael Quezada, Lonnie Talbert, and Jim Smith, to encourage the Commission to hold a special meeting to reconsider the vote after hearing from the public – and we thank Commissioners Debbie O’Malley and Maggie Hart-Stebbins for their help in giving Albuquerque voters a say on this matter.”

Contact the dissenters and ask for a special meeting:

Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada, District 2
Ph: (505) 468-7000
Email: District2@bernco.gov
Twitter: @StevenMQuezada

Commissioner Lonnie Talbert, District 4
Ph: (505) 468-7010
Email: District4@bernco.gov
Twitter: @LonnieTalbert

Commissioner James Smith, District 5
Ph: (505) 468-7212
Email: District5@bernco.gov

Thank the co-sponsoring commissioners:

Commissioner Debbie O’Malley, District 1
Ph: (505) 468-7027
Email: District1@bernco.gov

Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins, District 3
Ph: (505) 468-7108
Email: District3@bernco.gov
Twitter: @BernCoMaggie