New Mexicans for a Better Tomorrow, the group organizing a recall petition campaign against three Las Cruces city council members, has announced it will file its first campaign disclosure with the New Mexico Secretary of State Thursday. In a prepared statement, the group said it will report raising over $30,000 since October by over 100 donors, all of which are local to Dona Ana County.
“There needs to be more transparency in the public referendum process which is why we have no objection to reporting our donors to the Secretary of State. We call upon NM CAFe, who just concluded a petition drive, to make public their donors in a similar manner. We are proudly and fully funded by local citizens and have doubled our first fundraising goals,” stated Jeffrey Isbell, Campaign Manager of the Las Cruces recall effort.
The group is seeking to recall Councilors Olga Pedroza, Nathan Small, and Gill Sorg.
In a statement to KRWG News, NM CAFe Director Sarah Nolan stated, "We only needed to file if the initiative had gone to the ballot. Otherwise, we file a 990 like most other 501c3's." Nolan is referring to NM CAFe's petition drive for a new minimum wage law in Las Cruces. The law was never placed on the ballot, because Councilors Miguel Silva, Greg Smith, Ceil Levatino and Mayor Ken Miyagishima voted for the law, while expressing a need to amend it. This week, those same councilors approved changes proposed by councilor Nathan Small. The Mayor voted against the changes.