Ex-Secret Service employee appointed as Albuquerque's watchdog officer
Albuquerque shakes things up with new appointments for transparency roles, as the City Council greenlights a new Inspector General, City Auditor, and two Ethics Board members on a wild Monday night.
The recent shuffle within the Office of the Inspector General, which saw Melissa Santistevan put on administrative leave, marks a turning point. After nine internal reportsfailed to be made public by the Accountability in Government Oversight Committee, Santistevan found herself on leave during her contract's final stretch.
The Council has chosen William David Hoffman to take on the Inspector General position. In charge of the Office of Inspector General, Hoffman will oversee investigations, inspections, evaluations, and reviews to promote accountability, improve government services, and ensure they function within the law.
Hoffman, a Boise State University alum, founded Gryphon Workplace Investigations, a San Diego-based firm that specializes in investigative and compliance services. Prior to this venture, Hoffman held high-profile roles such as director of investigations and operations at University of California San Diego and a special agent in charge at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Inspector General. Hoffman's impressive resume also includes a stint as a Secret Service agent and a Master of Arts in Foreign Policy from Florida State University.
Expressing gratitude for being selected, Hoffman thanked the council during a Zoom meeting.
For the City Auditor role, which involves managing the Office of Internal Auditor and producing reports to reduce costs, boost revenues, and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of internal controls, the Council selected Marisa Vargas. Vargas has been the city's interim City Auditor since 2023 and holds a master's in accounting from UNM.
Two residents, Clayton King, a commercial real estate professional, and Levi Green, of Cumming Group, were appointed to fill the vacancies on the Board of Ethics. They will serve until July 31, 2027, finishing the terms of their predecessors, Josh Martinez and Jim Collie, who stepped down.
City Charter mandates that the Council appoints three members to the Ethics Board, the Mayor appoints three members, and these six members elect a seventh member as chairperson. The Ethics Board is responsible for analyzing complaints regarding potential breaches of the Code of Ethics, the Election Code, the Open and Ethical Elections Code, and rules established by the board or the city clerk.
William David Hoffman, the new Inspector General, will bring his extensive experience from Boise State University, Gryphon Workplace Investigations, and roles at the University of California San Diego and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Inspector General to oversee investigations and enforce accountability in Albuquerque's policy-and-legislation and general-news sectors. Meanwhile, Marisa Vargas, the city's interim City Auditor since 2023 and a master's in accounting from UNM, has been officially chosen to manage the Office of Internal Auditor and present reports that aim to reduce costs, boost revenues, and improve internal controls in Albuquerque's real estate sector. Furthermore, Clayton King, a commercial real estate professional, and Levi Green, of Cumming Group, were appointed to the Board of Ethics to fill the vacancies left by Josh Martinez and Jim Collie, and will serve until July 31, 2027. As members of the Ethics Board, they will be responsible for analyzing complaints related to breaches in the Code of Ethics, Election Code, Open and Ethical Elections Code, and rules established by the board or the city clerk, in both the arts and politics sectors.
