Latest news with #DennyHerrera
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
State Ethics Commission reaches settlement with Cuba mayor to resolve misconduct claim
May 30—SANTA FE — The State Ethics Commission has entered into a settlement agreement with a northern New Mexico mayor accused of benefitting from a directive that required village-owned vehicles to be refueled at a gas station he owns. The settlement agreement between the commission and Cuba Mayor Denny Herrera entered into this week avoids potential legal action by resolving all claims in the dispute. While not acknowledging any wrongdoing, Herrera agreed to pay $2,500 to the state and an additional $1,000 to the village of Cuba. After an investigation prompted by an online complaint, the Ethics Commission found reason to believe Herrera improperly benefited from a village directive that required employees to only use the convenience store he owns to refuel their government vehicles. The state Governmental Conduct Act specifically prohibits public officers from selling, or offering to sell, goods or services through businesses they own to employees under their supervision. While that law provides for both criminal and civil penalties, the State Ethics Commission does not have the authority to file criminal charges, said the commission's deputy director Amelia Bierle. Cases in which such charges could be filed are typically referred to district attorneys or Attorney General Raúl Torrez's office for review, she added. As part of the settlement agreement, Herrera informed Cuba in writing about his ownership of the gas station. He also clarified that village employees can gas up their work cars at any establishment that accepts special government debit cards. The settlement agreement did not specify how many such gas stations are located in Cuba, which had a population of 628 people as of 2020, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Herrera became Cuba's mayor after winning a three-way race in March 2022 with more than two-thirds of the 234 votes cast. He could not immediately be reached for comment Friday, and his attorney in the settlement agreement, Tom Hnasko, said he was not available to discuss its terms.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
State Ethics Commission reaches settlement with Cuba mayor to resolve misconduct claim
May 30—SANTA FE — The State Ethics Commission has entered into a settlement agreement with a northern New Mexico mayor accused of benefitting from a directive that required village-owned vehicles to be refueled at a gas station he owns. The settlement agreement between the commission and Cuba Mayor Denny Herrera entered into this week avoids potential legal action by resolving all claims in the dispute. While not acknowledging any wrongdoing, Herrera agreed to pay $2,500 to the state and an additional $1,000 to the village of Cuba. After an investigation prompted by an online complaint, the Ethics Commission found reason to believe Herrera improperly benefited from a village directive that required employees to only use the convenience store he owns to refuel their government vehicles. The state Governmental Conduct Act specifically prohibits public officers from selling, or offering to sell, goods or services through businesses they own to employees under their supervision. While that law provides for both criminal and civil penalties, the State Ethics Commission does not have the authority to file criminal charges, said the commission's deputy director Amelia Bierle. Cases in which such charges could be filed are typically referred to district attorneys or Attorney General Raúl Torrez's office for review, she added. As part of the settlement agreement, Herrera informed Cuba in writing about his ownership of the gas station. He also clarified that village employees can gas up their work cars at any establishment that accepts special government debit cards. The settlement agreement did not specify how many such gas stations are located in Cuba, which had a population of 628 people as of 2020, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Herrera became Cuba's mayor after winning a three-way race in March 2022 with more than two-thirds of the 234 votes cast. He could not immediately be reached for comment Friday, and his attorney in the settlement agreement, Tom Hnasko, said he was not available to discuss its terms.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Mexico State Ethics Commission settles with Cuba mayor
The New Mexico State Ethics Commission has reached a settlement with the mayor of the village of Cuba over alleged violations of the Governmental Conduct Act. 'Following an investigation, the Commission found reason to believe that [Mayor Denny Herrera] improperly benefitted from a village directive requiring employees to exclusively refuel Village vehicles' at a gas station Herrera owns, the commission wrote in a news release announcing the settlement Wednesday. Herrera, who is serving his first term as mayor, said in an interview Wednesday the directive was issued by 'prior administrations.' 'I should've caught it sooner, since Day 1,' he said. 'It's something that slipped by me, and it shouldn't happen.' Herrera said the village has long had a charge account at his gas station. 'Once this was brought up, I issued credit cards to everybody in the whole city and released an internal statement stating that they could purchase fuel at any location that accepted WEX cards,' he said. 'All we did was recommend that they purchase it within city limits if they could to keep the fuel tax in the city.' As part of the agreement, Herrera formally notified the village May 14 of his ownership interest in DDH Inc. Fuel Service Station 'and clarified that village employees are free to purchase fuel from any station that accepts WEX cards, in compliance with state and local procurement rules,' the news release states. Herrera also agreed to pay $2,500 to the state and $1,000 to the village within seven days of the agreement's execution. 'New Mexico's Governmental Conduct Act broadly prohibits a public officer from using the powers and resources of their public office to obtain a private benefit, and the Act specifically forbids public officers from selling goods, services or construction to public employees under their supervision,' the release states. 'The Commission works so that New Mexicans can trust that public officers will adhere to those basic principles.'
