Governor Grisham's Chicken Feed
June 30, 2024 #3, in a series about NM Governor Grisham & Waste of Public Funds
The State of New Mexico has a Governor’s Contingency Fund, which, according to NMSA 1978, Section 6-4-26, must be used for, “expenses directly connected with obligations of the elected office of governor.” Today, we’re going to unpack Governor Lujan Grisham’s 2022 and 2023 use of this Fund, starting with the chicken feed.
Remarkably, there are receipts for chicken feed and other farm supplies in these records.
Director of the Governor’s Mansion, Mary Brophy, who signed off on the expenses, says they have chickens, goats, dogs, and other animals, living on the Mansion grounds. Apparently, an old carriage house has been converted into a chicken coop. Brophy described it as a “petting zoo,” from which, they also obtain fresh eggs. When asked, she said various staff members look after the animals.
Compared to the rest of this story, the expense, although extravagant in nature, is not especially high. In 2022, the associated farm supply costs were $415.69. The costs were $364.11 in 2023.
It’s anyone’s guess as to how this petting zoo is directly related to the obligations of the Governor’s office. No one seems to have questioned it, until now.
Governor Grisham had a whole lot more going on in ‘22 and ‘23, besides just looking after a bunch of critters.
February, 17, 2022, was the day she finally lifted the indoor mask order, after nearly two years of COVID restrictions. Grisham and long-time companion, Manuel Cordova, were married on May 21, 2022, in Washington, DC, with Vice President Harris officiating. The Governor also traveled elsewhere, on trips both international and domestic. And, on top of all that, Grisham was up for re-election in November.
Having already faced criticism for spending Contingency Funds on booze and party supplies, Grisham appears to have reined herself in for the calendar year of 2022. While she continued to splurge other sources of public funding that year, her Contingency Fund expenses totaled just $13,654.64.
I say, “just,” because, while that may seem like a lot for coffee and chicken scratch, it pales in comparison to her spending post re-election.
Grisham spent $66,599.61, from the Contingency Fund, in calendar year 2023.
Catering expenses for 2022 totaled $7,97.52. In 2023, catering expenses totaled $56,070.74.
The State of New Mexico deposits $8,000 into the Contingency Fund every month. At the end of the fiscal year in July, all remaining balances are refunded to the General Fund, and the Governor starts over with $8,000.
Oversight is ostensibly provided by the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration, which is supposed to receive monthly expenditure reports from the Governor’s office.
Oddly, the NMDFA appears to maintain these records in multiple formats. They sent a partial response initially, with receipts and forms, signed by Mary Brophy. When pressed for full production, they sent an entirely different type of record, a spreadsheet, devoid of dates and receipts. Requests for the rest of the story are pending, including reports for 2024.
Stranger still, the Governor’s office claims they don’t keep any records, of any kind, regarding Contingency Fund expenditures. If true, this practice is in defiance of public records retention requirements. A follow-up IPRA has been issued, inquiring about their method of transmitting the records to Department of Finance and Administration.
I will revisit the Governor’s Contingency Fund when these records arrive. At that time, we’ll take a deep look into Governor Lujan Grisham’s willingness to squander public funds on self-indulgence, while many New Mexicans are struggling to survive wretched economic conditions.
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I’ll be back here next Sunday, with another report. Thanks for reading!
Much Love,
Auntie B.