Ruidoso Manager Ron Sena agrees to apology for ethics violation
On April 9 the New Mexico Ethics Commission announced it entered an agreement with Village of Ruidoso Manager Ron Sena after he reportedly breached state ethics laws.
Sena allegedly texted fellow employees between March 8 and March 12 to support Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford's bid for election to the State Senate, and used a village vehicle to distribute flyers promoting the campaign, according to a news release from the State Ethics Commission.
"The Governmental Conduct Act prohibits public officers and employees from certain political activity, including coercing others for political contributions and misusing government property for other than authorized purposes. The Governmental Conduct Act carries a civil penalty of $250 per violation not to exceed $5,000," said the release.
At an April 5 Ethics Commission meeting, Commissioners agreed not to fine Sena if he apologized to the employees he contacted and reaffirmed their rights to political participation outside of work hours. The Commission waived pursuing civil penalties because Sena voluntarily reported his actions.
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"Within 15 days of the date of this correspondence, you send a written apology to each employee who received the text messages described in your attorney's proffer," read the settlement agreement.
The apology can be in Sena's own words but must include that as a supervisor, he must state that public officers and employees should not be using state resources to promote a political candidate and employees should do what they want on their time regarding political activities.
Juan Corral can be reached at JCorral@gannett.com or on twitter at @Juan36Corr.
This article originally appeared on Alamogordo Daily News: Ruidoso manager settles ethics violation with apology to employees
