Activist replaced on county panel
By Phil Parker
Albuquerque Journal
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SANTA FE, N.M. — One of the activists replaced on the Santa Fe County Corrections Advisory Committee says the action was taken because he advocated for transparency at the county’s juvenile and adult detention facilities.
County officials claim Mitch Buszek was replaced simply because it was time for new blood.
“He just didn’t get put back on the list,” said Santa Fe public information officer Stephen Ulibarri. “His term expired and we made a replacement. We replaced about 50 people total (on many different advisory committees) at the board of county commissioners meeting (Tuesday).”
Buszek asserts that, since November, the corrections department has prevented the inspections and interviews that enable committee members to work as advocates for inmates.
He added that he wasn’t sure when or if his term had expired, but that changes on the committee have always come voluntarily from the person leaving and have been made after cordial discussions within the committee.
Buszek said he didn’t know he’d been replaced until a reporter phoned Wednesday to ask about it.
“I maintain it’s directly related to me advocating continued inspections and interviews and because of my records requests,” he said of his dismissal.
Buszek served on the committee since its inception about seven years ago.
“We appreciate his work and his service,” Ulibarri said. “It’s been valuable to Annabelle (Romero, director of the corrections department) and to the corrections department, but now we’re looking for a new voice, a new perspective. We hope he can appreciate that. We’re all looking out for the best interests of the inmates.”
Frank Susman has been on the committee since March and said he believes the members have been stonewalled by the corrections department. He said he doesn’t know why Buszek was booted, but Buszek was one of the most outspoken members of the committee.
“He’s been critical of both the operations of the committee itself and the department of corrections’ cooperation with the committee,” Susman said.
Susman and Buszek both said they’ve toured the juvenile facility in the last year, but don’t believe a guided tour falls under the “inspection” qualification spelled out in a county resolution that mandates what steps the committee is allowed to take in its advocacy for inmates.
“We’ve inspected the adult facility twice and the juvenile facility no times,” Susman said. He said an inspection would involve written reports done by two committee members with specialized experience.
The county claims the tour should suffice, and that there are only seven inmates in the juvenile facility at present - with a three-to-one employeeto-inmate ratio, inspections just aren’t necessary right now.
During one of those tours, Buszek discussed a teen’s case with that teen in earshot of Romero. “I had talked to someone who felt this kid was getting inappropriate pressure to plea bargain,” Buszek said.
“Mitch asked one of the kids how he was going to plea,” Susman said. “Annabelle overheard this and used it as a big point.”
Romero declined to be interviewed, and Ulibarri wouldn’t comment about that incident, except to say “as far as interviewing, there’s been issues about the committee members pulling aside an inmate and talking about the case. That’s an issue that has to be addressed.”
Ulibarri said the advisory committee’s authority does not supersede that of the director of corrections.
Buszek, jailed once himself for contempt of court in a child support case, said he has scheduled a meeting with Santa Fe Mayor David Coss to discuss reinstatement. Buszek said he had represented the city of Santa Fe on the advisory committee.
Copyright 2009 Albuquerque Journal