Chief of New Mexico Community Employees Retirement Association departs | Neighborhood News

The executive director of the New Mexico Community Staff members Retirement Affiliation declared his resignation Friday.

But he is by now located a new position.

Wayne Propst, who has been head of the retirement procedure for public personnel for approximately nine decades, is leaving to develop into chief of personnel for state Sen. George Muñoz, the new chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

Muñoz said Propst’s new situation will be short term with a substantially decreased salary.

In a assertion, Propst known as his time at PERA “a remarkable journey.”

“I will miss my colleagues at PERA deeply but really feel this is the correct time for me to request out new mountains to climb,” he said. 

Muñoz, who was appointed Tuesday as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which has appreciable influence above condition government paying, reported he achieved out to a variety of men and women in state government for tips to fill the chief of personnel situation, together with Propst, when Propst expressed curiosity in the career.

“My challenge was that I was notified late that I might be the chair and so then I was scrambling to get men and women that are common with a price range,” mentioned Muñoz, D-Gallup, who changed former longtime Sen. John Arthur Smith from Deming as committee chairman.

“I identified as [Propst] hunting for someone, and he said he may well be interested,” claimed Muñoz, including that the man or woman who experienced been in that position failed to reapply for the career.

Muñoz mentioned it is not a entire-time posture.

“It’s session-only,” he explained, referring to the 60-working day legislative session that begun Tuesday.

Muñoz claimed he did not know particularly how significantly Propst would be paid but that it would be in the selection of $18 to $35 an hour. As leader of the retirement technique for public staff, Propst was paid about $164,000 a yr.

Meanwhile, Sen. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, who was not long ago elected president pro tem, reported she hired Sanders Moore, former director of the advocacy group Setting New Mexico, as her main of team.

“She’s pretty smart, she’s quite tranquil, she’s pretty even-keeled, she understands coverage, she understands the workings of the Legislature, she’s lobbied for environmental problems for several years,” Stewart stated of Moore. “She’s a brilliant, kind, uncomplicated man or woman to function with.”

She explained Moore will generate about $90,000 a 12 months.

Moore could not be arrived at for remark.

Propst did not return messages trying to get remark. He only forwarded a news launch issued Friday asserting his departure.

“I’m leaving with the fund at an all-time high of $16.5 billion, with owning served lessen PERA’s unfunded legal responsibility by nearly $800 million in this previous fiscal calendar year, and with the fund again on a solvent route many thanks to the management of Governor Lujan Grisham and the do the job of the Legislature in 2020,” he mentioned. 

Propst’s time with the agency was not with out controversy.

Late very last year, condition Treasurer Tim Eichenberg and two other trustees filed an ethics grievance against Propst, alleging he provided deceptive or wrong info about the character of legislation signed into regulation by the governor. The legislation was aimed at generating the condition pension system solvent and did so in portion by altering yearly price tag-of-residing will increase for community retirees. The criticism alleged Propst misrepresented the improvements the legislation would make to retiree price tag-of-living adjustments.

At the time, Propst termed the complaint frivolous.

“I am self-assured the Condition Ethics Commission will locate there is no basis for it, just as the New Mexico Lawyer Typical and Point out Auditor each concluded only past year that the same folks produced other unfounded allegations in opposition to me and PERA staff,” he wrote in an email in December.

The chairman of PERA’s board of trustees, John Melia, gave Propst a glowing evaluate in Friday’s news launch.

“Wayne has led PERA by way of some of the most difficult troubles the affiliation has faced in its 74-12 months history and has completed so with integrity, vision and compassion,” he was quoted as stating. “His accomplishments are as well quite a few to record, but generations of present and long run community workforce and retirees in New Mexico will have Wayne to thank for his management and braveness to confront details and not operate absent from the difficult and complicated function of guaranteeing PERA’s soundness and solvency.”

The PERA board will hold a frequently scheduled conference Jan. 28 and start out discussions on succession planning, the information launch states.

Abide by Daniel J. Chacón on Twitter @danieljchacon.