Governor fires racing commission, appoints five new members

TUCUMCARI — The New Mexico Racing Commission today abruptly canceled a planned April 30 special meeting to discuss awarding a sixth horse-racing license, and by the afternoon a new racing commission was appointed by Gov. Michelle Lujan-Grisham.

The commission sent out an email Thursday morning, stating the planned April 30 meeting had been canceled “under further notice.” Commission Executive Director Ismael “Izzy” Trejo declined comment when contacted by phone Thursday morning but said he likely would make a statement later today amid “fast-moving developments.”

Those fast-moving developments became five new commission members, announced early Thursday afternoon by the governor’s office.

The new commission members are:

• Beverly Bourguet, a racing commission member from 2011 to 2015. She races and breeds racehorses, and is a board member and founding member of the Downs at Albuquerque Chaplaincy.

• John Buffington, a former chief operating officer of the San Juan Regional Medical Center with more than 40 years as both an owner and breeder.

• Freda McSwane, a Lincoln County attorney and a racehorse owner and breeder.

• David Sanchez, a racing commission member from 2003 to 2009 and owner of San Bar Racing, LLC, a horse breeding and racing program. He owns an investments company and construction company, and has served on the State Fair Commission since 2009.

• Billy G. Smith, owner of Smith Enterprises, LLC, a construction firm. He has been involved in the racing industry since the 1970s as an owner and served on various boards for the American Quarter Horse Association. 

According to state statue, at least three members of the commission must be practical breeders of racehorses within New Mexico, and no more than three may be members of the same political party.

Now-former Chairman Ray Willis told Clovis Media Inc. Thursday morning Gov. Lujan Grisham sent him an email late Wednesday, informing him he’d been relieved of his duties with the agency. Willis also said “it’s my understanding the entire commission has been relieved.”

“I’ve never been fired before, especially by email,” Willis said. “Evidently, the governor and her people have different ideas on how to proceed.”

Willis said the commission’s now-aborted April 30 special meeting was meant to “review all options” on whether to issue a license and, if so, to which one of the five applicants.

The commission had planned to issue a sixth license in early December, but an injunction request by the Lordsburg applicant, Hidalgo Downs LLC, in late November derailed those plans. Hidalgo said an independent feasibility study commissioned by the agency was flawed, and it alleged Willis had a conflict of interest with one of the Clovis applicants. The attorney general’s office instructed the commission to not award a license until the legal dispute was resolved.

The other four license applicants objected to announced settlement earlier this month between Hidalgo and the commission, saying they didn’t have any input with the agreement. Judge Carl Butkus refused to approve the settlement until hearing out their complaints.

Willis said he wasn’t sure which applicant his fellow commissioners favored for the license. He said two of the applications were “weak,” two were “strong” and one was “somewhere in the middle,” but declined to specify which applicants fit which descriptions.