On International Whistleblower Protection Day, leaders commit to aligning City ordinance with national best practices.
Albuquerque, NM – City Councilor Stephanie W. Telles and Interim City Inspector General Peter Pacheco today announced they will jointly develop a package of ordinance amendments to modernize the City's Whistleblower Protection Ordinance and align it with national best practices for transparency and accountability. The announcement comes on International Whistleblower Protection Day, observed annually on July 30.
The initiative builds on Ordinance O-26-41 and Councilor Telles’ amendments, which — if adopted at the August 3rd City Council Meeting — will close several structural gaps in the City's current whistleblower framework, including the loss-of-protection penalty for employees who don't follow a prescribed reporting sequence, a stronger legal definition of "protected disclosure," a more workable retaliation standard, and explicit anonymous-reporting protections.
"Passing O-41 alone isn’t enough and I urge my colleagues on the Council to pass this bill with my proposed amendments. That’s a strong step forward, but it still isn't the finish line," said Councilor Telles. “Our work lives inside a code of ethics that doesn't bend for convenience. We need to ensure our policies are grounded in our laws if we want to strengthen public trust and remove any potential chilling effect on prospective whistleblowers. By embedding these principles in our governing...
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