SANTA FE – Do you ever wonder how Governor Martinez decides who gets a job in her administration and who doesn’t? If you said “show me the money,” you’d probably be right.

Results from an ongoing ProgressNow New Mexico investigation show that Governor Susana Martinez rewards her favorite donors with cushy state jobs in what is just the latest example of the pay-to-play cronyism that’s becoming a hallmark of the Martinez administration.

Butch Matthews, for example, was reappointed to the State Transportation Commission after giving a total of $58,750 in personal and business donations to Martinez’s gubernatorial campaign, her SusanaPAC, and her Reform New Mexico Now PAC.

And then there’s Paul Kienzle III, an Albuquerque lawyer who recently received a controversial appointment to the State Game Commission by Governor Martinez. Kienzle was a member of Martinez’s campaign committee and served as the attorney for Martinez’s Reform New Mexico Now PAC, which was scrutinized during the 2012 elections for violating campaign finance laws. New Mexico’s sportsmen’s community was livid after Kienzle’s recent appointment – the board is supposed to include representatives from five areas of the state but Kienzle is the third Martinez appointee from the Albuquerque area – and a spokesman for the New Mexico Wildlife Federation was quoted as saying, “We’re just disappointed the governor took off an everyday New Mexico sportsman and replaced him with what seems to be a political associate.“

The examples of Martinez’s pay-to-play appointments displayed below represent only the most recent results of our investigation. Check back soon for more information on Martinez’ pay-to-play appointments.

Martinez PayToPlay Appointments