ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Bernalillo County Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada was not joking Tuesday evening when he walked out of a commission meeting, claiming he wasn’t being heard. 

“With me not having a say-so means that all the people who voted for me do not have a voice right now when we’re passing this resolution. My time is better served in my commission at my desk in my office,” said Bernalillo County Commissioner Steve Michael Quezada. 

The commissioners really became the story Tuesday, more so than the issues they were discussing. Frustration that had been building for a while reached a boiling point. 

“This is the first time that I’ve ever felt like I wasn’t included. Like, I’m not a part of a five-party commission. And I think staff knows that that’s the case here, and so with that being said, why am I here?” said Quezada.  

This drama Tuesday night has to do with the county manager selection process.  Julie Morgas Baca holds that position but is retiring at the end of June. She was at the meeting Tuesday night, but she wasn’t the issue. The issue was how to replace her. 

Commissioners Quezada and Walt Benson have previously expressed concerns about the transparency of the selection process. So, they developed their own plan for how it should work. 

They also disagreed with other commissioners over who should be on the search committee that’s involved in finding candidates.  

Benson and Quezada felt they were not being heard. Therefore, they believed their constituents didn’t have a voice.  

“I think Commissioner Quezada makes a valid point. Two commissioners have been absolutely pushed to the side in an effort to hire a county manager,” said Benson. 

“I respectfully wish to move this forward. I feel that I’ve said my piece that we are going above and beyond what is actually necessary to vet and to choose, by majority rule, our next county manager,” said Commissioner Barbara Baca. 

There was another issue addressed Tuesday night that a lot of people have been talking about. But it failed, in part, because Quezada wasn’t there for a vote. 

The commissioners discussed possibly issuing a proclamation of support for building a playground at the Netherwood Park in northeast Albuquerque. 

During this last legislative session at the Roundhouse, lawmakers set aside $200,000 to build a playground at the park. But Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham did away with that funding with a line item veto. 

Some commissioners had heard from people disappointed in that decision. But it’s a city park, so it’s not even up to the county to build the playground. That was the conclusion of the County Commission Chair. 

“I leave it to the community and to the city, because it is a city park, to come together and come to consensus and work this through. So, that’s my position on that,” said Baca. 

Benson said the reason the governor vetoed the funding for the playground is because she got a call from a former politician who was against it.  

He said he just wanted the county to show support for families who want their children to have a place to play. 

Commissioner Quezada issued this statement a day after the meeting:

“I am deeply disappointed by the actions of Commissioners Baca, Olivas, and Barboa, who persist in silencing the voices of residents in District 2 and District 4. Their habits for backroom deals and decisions made without transparency is unacceptable. The selection process they’ve crafted for the new county manager lacks inclusivity and raises concerns of a rigged outcome aimed at installing someone who will serve their interests, neglecting the voices of those who disagree with them, and silencing the residents of the unincorporated areas of Bernalillo County. I made the decision to walk out of the commission meeting last night because I refuse to stand idly by while my constituents’ voices are ignored,”