The public might have a short memory about the career of Ricky Serna, now acting Cabinet secretary of New Mexico’s labor agency.
Biggs was director of environmental sciences at Northern New Mexico College in Española when Serna was one of the school’s vice presidents. Biggs pointed out college administrators had misappropriated federal grants.
Biggs says Serna responded by threatening to take out a full-page newspaper advertisement to discredit him.
For Serna’s part, he said he doesn’t remember any details about clashes between college employees and administrators.
“I don’t. I just don’t recall all the this and the that,” Serna said.
After getting nowhere with the college’s staff, Biggs alerted outside agencies about the misuse of federal money. The U.S. Department of Education issued a written statement saying Biggs was correct.
Did he get a belated pat on the back from his employer for pinpointing violations of the rules on how taxpayers’ money could be spent? No, instead came a gut punch. The college, he said, denied him the tenured position he was on track to receive, a retaliatory move to harm him.
Biggs sued. The college eventually settled the case by paying him about $295,000.
Four other whistleblowers at the school also said they were retaliated against after exposing wrongdoing.
In all, they collected another $1 million in settlements or jury awards.
Serna resigned from the college in December 2015, telling me he decided it was time for the next chapter in his...
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