Chief of New Mexico General public Employees Retirement Affiliation departs | Neighborhood News

The govt director of the New Mexico Public Staff members Retirement Association announced his resignation Friday.

But he’s presently identified a new work.

Wayne Propst, who has been head of the retirement technique for community staff for nearly nine a long time, is leaving to become chief of employees for condition Sen. George Muñoz, the new chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

Muñoz said Propst’s new situation will be non permanent with a drastically reduce wage.

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

“I will pass up my colleagues at PERA deeply but sense this is the suitable time for me to request out new mountains to climb,” he explained. 

Muñoz, who was appointed Tuesday as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which has substantial impact more than point out authorities paying, claimed he reached out to a number of people today in point out federal government for tips to fill the chief of staff members position, including Propst, when Propst expressed desire in the job.

“My difficulty was that I was notified late that I would be the chair and so then I was scrambling to get people that are familiar with a finances,” claimed Muñoz, D-Gallup, who replaced former longtime Sen. John Arthur Smith from Deming as committee chairman.

“I identified as [Propst] seeking for someone, and he stated he might be interested,” claimed Muñoz, introducing that the person who had been in that position did not reapply for the career.

Muñoz mentioned it can be not a whole-time posture.

“It can be session-only,” he explained, referring to the 60-working day legislative session that started off Tuesday.

Muñoz stated he did not know particularly how a lot Propst would be paid out but that it would be in the variety of $18 to $35 an hour. As leader of the retirement procedure for public staff members, Propst was paid about $164,000 a year.

Meanwhile, Sen. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, who was recently elected president professional tem, explained she employed Sanders Moore, former director of the advocacy team Environment New Mexico, as her main of staff.

“She’s quite smart, she’s pretty tranquil, she’s pretty even-keeled, she understands coverage, she understands the workings of the Legislature, she’s lobbied for environmental concerns for many years,” Stewart mentioned of Moore. “She’s a outstanding, form, simple human being to get the job done with.”

She explained Moore will gain about $90,000 a yr.

Moore could not be reached for remark.

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

“I’m leaving with the fund at an all-time high of $16.5 billion, with obtaining assisted lessen PERA’s unfunded liability by virtually $800 million in this earlier fiscal year, and with the fund back again on a solvent path thanks to the management of Governor Lujan Grisham and the function of the Legislature in 2020,” he reported. 

Propst’s time with the agency wasn’t devoid of controversy.

Late previous calendar year, state Treasurer Tim Eichenberg and two other trustees submitted an ethics criticism versus Propst, alleging he delivered deceptive or untrue facts about the mother nature of laws signed into regulation by the governor. The law was aimed at generating the point out pension system solvent and did so in aspect by altering annual price-of-residing boosts for community retirees. The criticism alleged Propst misrepresented the improvements the laws would make to retiree price tag-of-living changes.

At the time, Propst referred to as the criticism frivolous.

“I am self-assured the Point out Ethics Commission will locate there is no basis for it, just as the New Mexico Legal professional Normal and State Auditor each concluded only last year that the exact same people created other unfounded allegations in opposition to me and PERA personnel,” he wrote in an e mail in December.

The chairman of PERA’s board of trustees, John Melia, gave Propst a glowing overview in Friday’s information release.

“Wayne has led PERA by way of some of the most difficult troubles the association has faced in its 74-12 months heritage and has completed so with integrity, eyesight and compassion,” he was quoted as declaring. “His accomplishments are also various to checklist, but generations of recent and foreseeable future general public workforce and retirees in New Mexico will have Wayne to thank for his management and braveness to facial area specifics and not operate away from the tough and tricky do the job of making sure PERA’s soundness and solvency.”

The PERA board will keep a often scheduled meeting Jan. 28 and commence discussions on succession scheduling, the news launch states.

Follow Daniel J. Chacón on Twitter @danieljchacon.