Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Freedom New Mexico
A story in Sunday’s newspaper detailed expense reports for six key government leaders in eastern New Mexico. The report covered 11 months and raised questions about how and why our appointed representatives spend our tax money.
Why, for example, did Curry County Manager Lance Pyle spend more than $1,700 on food from local restaurants when the other five leaders spent less than $75 between them on local meals?
How did Clovis City Manager Joe Thomas need only $62 to cover his travel expenses while Portales City Manager Debi Lee spent more than $4,500?
None of the expenses, which covered June 1, 2008, to the first week of May, seemed particularly astonishing and no impropriety was visible. But the differences in spending were widespread.
Pyle, for example, racked up $4,651 in expenses, while Roosevelt County Manager Charlene Hardin spent $1,154. Lee’s