Current:Home > NewsNew Mexico names new Indian Affairs secretary amid criticism-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
New Mexico names new Indian Affairs secretary amid criticism
View Date:2024-12-23 22:46:29
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The former pueblo leader nominated by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to head the state’s Indian Affairs Department is leaving that post less than a year into the job to take on a new role as a policy adviser to the governor.
James Mountain’s new role as senior policy adviser for tribal affairs was confirmed Friday by the governor’s office in a statement.
Josett Monette will take the reins of the Indian Affairs Department, after serving previously in roles as deputy director and general counsel at the agency. Monette is affiliated with the North Dakota-based Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa.
Mountain’s appointment in February as cabinet secretary immediately fueled anger among Native American advocates who worked to address violence and missing persons cases within their communities. They pointed to sexual assault charges against Mountain, saying he wasn’t the right person to lead the state agency.
Lujan Grisham’s office pointed out that charges against Mountain were dismissed in 2010 after prosecutors said they didn’t have enough evidence to go to trial, and it urged those raising concerns about his past to “respect the judicial process and acknowledge the results.”
The governor also had highlighted Mountain’s history as a leader at San Ildefonso Pueblo and his expertise in state and tribal relations, as she pushed for a Senate committee to hold a confirmation hearing so Mountain could be vetted like other cabinet members.
But the governor’s office never forwarded his nomination to the committee for consideration — and did not answered questions about whether it sought input from Native American communities when choosing Mountain as a successor for Lynn Trujillo, who stepped down as secretary in November 2022 before taking a job with the U.S. Interior Department.
In March, protesters gathered at the state capitol to call for greater accountability in the system for vetting state-appointed positions that serve Indigenous communities.
Mountain never directly addressed the concerns about his nomination. In a letter to state lawmakers, his daughter, Leah Mountain, described him as a devoted father who instilled cultural identity, confidence and aspiration in her after her mother left. She said the allegations against him are false.
Mountain served as governor at San Ildefonso Pueblo from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2015 to 2017. He oversaw the completion of the Aamodt Water Settlement, concerning the pueblo’s water rights, and the Indian Land Claims Settlement in 2006. He also ran his own state-tribal affairs consulting firm in recent years.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Firefighters make progress, but Southern California wildfire rages on
- The first smart gun with facial and fingerprint recognition is now for sale
- The Bachelor's Caelynn Miller-Keyes Shares Travel Must-Haves and Packing Hacks
- Fireworks can make bad air quality even worse. For some cities, the answer is drones
- Insurance magnate pleads guilty as government describes $2B scheme
- Hailey Bieber Thanks Selena Gomez for Defending Her Amid “Very Hard” Time
- 2 Rembrandts have been hidden in a private collection for 200 years. Now they're headed to auction.
- Can politicians catch up with AI?
- Ready-to-eat meat, poultry recalled over listeria risk: See list of affected products
- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott expands migrant bus operation, sending first group to Denver
Ranking
- DWTS' Gleb Savchenko Shares Why He Ended Brooks Nader Romance Through Text Message
- 1.5 million apply for U.S. migrant sponsorship program with 30,000 monthly cap
- Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth Break Up: A Look Back at Their Family Moments
- Pottery Barn's 40% Off Warehouse Sale Has the Best Spring Home Decor, Furniture & More Starting at $6
- Here's what 3 toys were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame this year
- We ranked the top 10 'Final Fantasy' mainline games
- Pentagon, Justice Department investigate as secret military documents appear online
- Ryan Dorsey Reveals What 7-Year-Old Son Josey Knows About His Late Mom Naya Rivera
Recommendation
-
Democrat Janelle Bynum flips Oregon’s 5th District, will be state’s first Black member of Congress
-
Pottery Barn's 40% Off Warehouse Sale Has the Best Spring Home Decor, Furniture & More Starting at $6
-
Prince Harry loses legal bid to regain special police protection in U.K., even at his own expense
-
Kelly Clarkson to Make a Musical Comeback With New Album Chemistry
-
Fire crews on both US coasts battle wildfires, 1 dead; Veterans Day ceremony postponed
-
The Fate of Grey's Anatomy Revealed
-
Bipartisan immigration bill would boost border funds, expand lawful migration and legalize some immigrants
-
U.S. deported 11,000 migrants in the week after Title 42 ended