Despite Record Unemployment, New Mexico Environment Department Hands Out Huge Raises

May 5, 2021

Being a member of Governor Lujan Grisham’s eco-left administration sure does have its rewards.

The Santa Fe New Mexican is reporting two employees of the New Mexico Environment Department recently received pay raises of as much as 58 percent. One of the employees, a former special assistant to the Secretary, went from making $26.44 an hour to now “earning” $41.82 an hour for a salary of nearly $87,000 a year. The new, higher-earning position wasn’t advertised to the public.

Secondly, the Department’s media relations officer received a nearly 20 percent pay hike. The reason? The deferment now has a 5-person media relations office. For reference, the previous Governor had one person who did media relations for both the Environment and Energy Departments.

The move comes as New Mexico’s workers, at least those who don’t have cushy government jobs, are suffering through the worst unemployment in nearly 30 years. The raises also come after Environment Secretary was advocating for a bigger budget by tweeting out the state legislature needed to “show me the money.”