This is not a criticism of the qualifications of Danny Maki to work for the city of Santa Fe.
Maki, who worked as the field director for Mayor Alan Webber’s reelection campaign, is now a senior adviser and neighborhood engagement coordinator. He will be paid $75,000 a year to advise new City Manager John Blair, Webber and the City Council.
Gathering information, finding out what people think on topics and giving advice — those are, as Maki says, in his “wheelhouse.” He has worked as a campaign strategist and understands issues and voters; in the context of this job, that translates to residents.
The city obviously needs to be in touch with what the people think, want and need. However, consider this: In the recent reorganization of city government, an entire Office of Community Engagement was established — first called Constituent and Council Services, this is the old office of the city clerk. Surely neighborhood engagement can and should be handled through Community Engagement.
When you consider an Office of Community Engagement already exists, a neighborhood engagement coordinator is hardly a critical position. At least not before hiring more staff to clean and maintain parks, work in recreation, fill potholes, balance the budget and pick up garbage — the jobs the city must fill to operate smoothly.
Instead, we have a political operative in the heart of City Hall, with taxpayers footing the bill.
The position, which was created two years ago, never got filled after being advertised. Some interviews were held, but the position remained open.
Fast-forward to 2022 and Maki’s hiring. This is not the way a 21st century city administration should operate, especially when professionalizing City Hall was an accomplishment Webber cited when asking to be reelected.
In the old days of patronage politics at the local level, any new mayor would take over and install supporters in key positions. Their loyalty often was to the person, not to the best interests of the city and its citizens. Eventually, civil service jobs were made nonexempt, meaning workers couldn’t be fired or harassed for political purposes. That ensures loyalty to the greater good, not to one individual’s political fortunes.
Maki’s job is exempt — he serves at the pleasure of the higher-ups — but just because he can be fired at will doesn’t mean he should have been hired in the first place.
Politics and policy make uncomfortable bedfellows. Someone whose job it is to listen to citizens shouldn’t be worried about also having to “advise” the boss, whatever that means. This setup creates a division of loyalty that isn’t likely to work — and worse, puts the position and the person who holds it at a disadvantage.
Danny Maki may very well be able to do this job. But it’s hardly one the city needs. Nor is it one that should have been filled through a patronage appointment. Yet, here we are.
