Ethics and Campaign Board Meetings

The City of Santa Fe Ethics and Campaign Review Board met on November 13, 2026. The board amended the agenda to remove approval of minutes, which were unavailable and deferred to the next meeting. After hearing comments from the complainant and respondent and deliberating in executive session, the board voted to dismiss case 2026-02, Beninato v. Montoya and Vijil, finding no probable cause of a violation. The stated grounds were that the allegations had been addressed in an earlier case or were outside the board’s jurisdiction; counsel will prepare a written order. No procurement or spending decisions were identified.

In other discussion, the chair said they hoped to transition out of the chairmanship, noted two board vacancies, and described conversations with city officials about having the City Attorney’s Office take a more active role in pursuing some future ethics cases. The board discussed an existing ordinance provision allowing the city attorney or a designated qualified attorney to file complaints after independently determining probable cause; no rule change or formal action on this process was taken. The meeting adjourned with no further meetings or pending actions scheduled.