Balderas already delivering on promises

Attorney General-elect Hector Balderas isn’t wasting any time — his transition website is up and running (balderaselects.com) so that come Jan. 1, the new attorney general will be ready to get to work.

Constituents are being invited to send in concerns — that’s important, considering that several of Balderas’ best investigations as state auditor came from the public. As attorney general, Balderas wants input from citizens so that the conversation that began during the election can continue. In his mind, he can do a better job as the state’s chief lawyer if he knows what the citizens need from their attorney.

Best of all in this job-scarce state, the attorney general-to-be has announced he is hiring. To be considered, send a resume, references and a letter of interest to careershectorbalderas.com.

As the brief note at balderaselects.com says, “if you are interested in being part of a dynamic, statewide office and possess the desire to fight tirelessly for the people of New Mexico, we want to hear from you!”

Obviously, the new attorney general isn’t going to completely turn over the office.

He wants the best and the brightest, whether from among current staff or outside. The staff attorneys can reapply for positions, though, and there are other vacant positions and prospective retirements.

Jobs aren’t just for attorneys, either. A special projects coordinator or a victims ombudsman doesn’t have to have attended law school. Neither does a financial auditor, special agent or information systems administrator.

Hiring is important, too, because what kinds of lawyers are hired and how the divisions are set up determines what work the office will do.

Now, before the new boss takes office, is the period in which he can assess skills, organize his office structure, eliminate deadwood and also bring in different ideas.

There’s that balancing act between preserving necessary institutional memory and tapping new blood. Which, by the way, doesn’t have to be in the form of young whippersnappers.

Serving in the Attorney General’s Office is a form of public service, one we hope to see experienced lawyers take up before they retire. They won’t make as much money, but they can shape the future of New Mexico and re-energize this essential state office.

Balderas, by moving swiftly in the transition, is already delivering on the promises he made to voters.

— The Santa Fe New Mexican