Democratic State Auditor Hector Balderas is running for re-election this year. His Republican opponent, Errol Chavez, says that, if elected, the Office of the State Auditor would be his first target for investigation. Even by New Mexico standards, this year looks to be a memorable one for political corruption.

Championing a “culture of accountability,” State AuditorHector Balderas was in Doña Ana County on Thursday to rally support for his reelection bid and to promote the New Mexico Democratic ticket. Balderas addressed a large local turnout at the August meeting of the Progressive Voters Alliance (PVA) held at the Munson Community Center in Las Cruces and a meet and greet event at in Mesilla.

New Mexico’s state auditor met with local Democrats Tuesday, during a campaign stop focused on drumming up support for his bid for re-election. Hector Balderas attended a breakfast meet-and-greet at a Roswell restaurant to discuss his campaign platform and take questions regarding the state’s Office of the State Auditor.

Both candidates for governor have told The Independent they support spending more money to strengthen the State Auditor’s Office. Democrat Diane Denish and RepublicanSusana Martinez both told The Independent if elected governor they would support sending more money to the agency, which despite its oversight role and several high-profile corruption scandals has endured deep budget cuts. The issue of beefing up the state’s auditing practices for local and state government, which is coordinated by the State Auditor’s Office, emerged during last week’s first gubernatorial debate between Denish and Martinez.

What was billed as a debate about public school education Thursday night morphed into a slugfest about ill-advised jet flights and alleged inappropriate spending. Democrat Diane Denish knocked Republican Susana Martinez, Dona Ana County’s District Attorney, for what she called out-of-control spending. Martinez denounced Denish for her cavalier use of the state jet as the state’s lieutenant governor.

State Auditor Hector Balderas wants to continue to fight for more efficiency and accountability in state government. Balderas, a Democrat, is running for a second term against Republican candidate Errol J. Chavez in the November general election. Balderas is a former District 68 state representative in Mora County, a special prosecutor in Mora and San Miguel counties, and an assistant district attorney for Bernalillo County.

State Auditor Hector Balderas has ordered an expanded audit of the Central Consolidated School District in San Juan County. Balderas says concerns from the community and findings from a previous audit prompted the extensive investigation, which will look for fraud, waste, or abuse in the district's accounting books. The district's expired land leases with the Navajo Nation, as well as the district's financial reports and alleged mismanagement will all be reviewed, Balderas said.

State Auditor Hector Balderas on Wednesday ordered an expanded audit of the Central Consolidated School Districts financial affairs. The order came in response to complaints, inquiries and allegations about the district and after the Special Investigations Division of the State Auditor's Office identified several risk factors regarding the district's financial affairs and operations. "After reviewing the risk factors, I have authorized extensive audit procedures of CCSD's financial affairs," Balderas said in a prepared statement.

At meetings here last week, state Auditor Hector H. Balderas worked with local government officials on ways to guard against waste, fraud and abuse of public funds. "We talked to the city, the county and Western New Mexico University about their budgets and how they could be exposed to waste, fraud and abuse," Balderas said. "We also want residents to know they can call and inquire or file complaints with my office."

In Ruidoso to spread the word about a new fraud reporting hotline, New Mexico State Auditor Hector Balderas took a few minutes to review the village's standing on annual audits. He was blunt in his assessment that while he appreciates the village staff and council's efforts to catch up on audits, he needs to see corrective actions implemented on some critical audit findings or Ruidoso could end up on a special monitoring "at risk" list.

With a county government scrambling to regain control of itself, and a city councilor calling for a closer look at municipal contracting, Santa Feans are being roused from a long slumber on the politico-administrative scene. Editorially, this paper has already suggested that state or judicial-district prosecutors get more serious about construction-contract irregularities.

Just weeks after a scathing state audit criticized Bernalillo Public Schools for questionable spending and misusing federal funds, the district is sending 32 people to Las Vegas, Nev., for a special education conference. The 22 teachers, eight administrators and two parents are attending a three-day professional development session this week. Board of Education President Jack Torres said he opposed the trip, which cost $40,000, and took his concerns to the director of special education and the superintendent.

After being ripped by a state auditor last month for fiscal mismanagement, the Bernalillo Public School District is now under scrutiny for sending 30 employees to a pricey out of state conference in Las Vegas.

“Accountability” will play a major role in the November elections for Governor, Land Commissioner, and the State Auditor’s race, incumbant State Auditor Hector Balderas told The Independent at the state Democratic Party watch party Tuesday night. Balderas expressed anger at legislators who he said have disproportionately cut his agency’s staff.

A recent risk review by New Mexico Auditor Hector Balderas states Lovington Municipal Schools spending exceeded their budget by $1.4 million and an independent auditor didn't receive full access. The review states that the school district didn’t provide every financial statement for funds several times. In 2007 an independent public accountant wasn't able to opine on the district's financial statements, according to the report.

The State Auditor's Office has blasted the Santa Fe School system for failing to keep track of expensive equipment. The audit report was released Thursday morning, eight months after the school system's technical director left under a cloud.

When the state auditor looked through APS charter schools’ financial statements, he found 361 occurrences of financial mismanagement across the district and bookkeeping problems in multiple charter schools’ records.

The city of Aztec has not filed required audits of its city finances for three years, and it has ignored repeated requests to explain the delay, according to the Office of the State Auditor. Aztec now is labeled "at risk non-responsive" by the state agency charged with overseeing government budgets to prevent wasteful spending of tax dollars.

The state auditor on Wednesday pointed to "troubling patterns" in Albuquerque's charter schools after an audit found 361 financial problems at 36 schools. The school board says it should not be held responsible for schools it can't control, but state Education Secretary Veronica Garcia said the board has authority it isn't using. "Many people don't think they have the authority, but if they really look at the law, there's more authority there than I think they realize," Garcia said. Control of charters has been a hot topic at APS meetings for years, as the board struggles to manage schools that are governed by their own boards but authorized by the district.

Felony criminal charges have been filed against former Jemez Mountain School District business manager Kathy Borrego five months after the State Auditor released a report detailing how she allegedly stole $3.4 million from the District. Assistant District Attorney JoHanna Cox filed criminal information paperwork Jan. 13 in state District Court in Tierra Amarilla charging Borrego with six counts of embezzlement, four counts of attempted tax evasion and one count of official act for personal financial gain.

Investigators uncovered one of the largest embezzlements of public money by one person in NM, when an audit revealed that someone stole nearly $300,000 intended for students in a poor, rural school district.

State investigators now believe the former business manager of a small New Mexico school system stole more than $3.3 million from her district since 2001, sources have told KRQE News 13.

The state Public Education Department seized financial control of the Jemez Mountain School District Friday after an audit blamed a former business manager for embezzling more than $3 million.

A Town of Bernalillo contract engineer provided Arizona Cardinals playoff tickets to then-Town Manager Stephen Jerge and a water department official last January, he has admitted — and the contractor’s wife hired Jerge to work at her firm after he resigned as town manager in the midst of a financial scandal last April.

Even after state Auditor Hector Balderas warned 71 local agencies including schools and cities that their audits are late, 34 groups haven't turned in audit reports — and haven't explained to his office why not. In an attempt to remedy the situation, Balderas said Thursday he will forward the names of those scofflaw agencies to the Attorney General's Office.

More than two months after State Auditor Hector Balderas released a searing report accusing former Jemez Mountain School District business manager Kathy Borrego of embezzling more that $3.3 million of public funds, Borrego has still not been charged with a crime.

We are outraged with the gross misspending of education money in the Mora school district. Heads should roll. Last week, State Auditor Hector Balderas exposed a slush fund that demonstrated incompetence at best and an arrogance of power at worst.

At a time when the state of New Mexico is some $400 million or more in the hole and lawmakers are contemplating a wide variety of spending cuts to bring the state budget back into the black, State Auditor Hector Balderas has reported that more than $1 billion in state funds has been spent in recent years without the proper oversight and control.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – State Auditor Hector Balderas says 90 governmental bodies – including school districts, counties and municipalities – are late in submitting financial audits required by law.

The city attorney on Wednesday accused two City Council members of breaking the rules during recent meetings. And he urged passage of a resolution to firm up the regulations for the council. City Attorney Carlos Quiñones was referring to council members Andrew Feldman and Diane Moore, both of whom have been critical of Mayor Tony Marquez’s administration.

At least 11 state agencies haven’t submitted audit reports to the State Auditor’s Office that were due Dec. 15, 2008, records show.

Board members and employees of the Albuquerque-region New Mexico Housing Authority stole $5 million from the poor and gave to themselves, an audit reported released Wednesday revealed.

Late yesterday, Governor Bill Richardson signed SB 336, a bill creating a multi-tier audit system that eases the financial burdens shouldered by smaller governmental entities when complying with state audit requirements.

The Fraternal Order of Police Albuquerque Lodge #1 votes to recommend Hector Balderas for State Auditor to the FOP State Lodge.

The Taos Municipal School Board took a closer look at the audit findings that drew a warning from the state at a special meeting June 16. State Auditor Hector Balderas wrote to the district after the $50,000 audit by the Moss Adams firm was released, warning the district about its "poor fiscal management" and "lack of internal controls."

A damning report on money management by Taos Municipal Schools has prompted New Mexico state Auditor Hector Balderas to order "special monitoring" of the district by his staff. Balderas made the announcement last week in a letter to Secretary of Education Veronica Garcia and Taos Superintendent Rod Weston. The letter cited numerous "failures and deficiencies" identified by the Albuquerque company Moss Adams in its audit of the school district.