More than two weeks past what he calls the legal deadline, Albuquerque District 5 City Councilor Dan Lewis is demanding the release of Inspector General reports on fraud, waste and abuse, accusing the city’s oversight committee of “hiding” public documents.
Lewis sent a Sept. 3 letter demanding the Accountability and Government Oversight Committee convene by Oct. 1 to act after it missed an August deadline under city rules. Former Inspector General Melissa Santistevan said in March that the delayed reports “deal with fraud, waste, or abuse that impact our City.” Other reports released in 2025 documented $374,299 in alleged fraud and questionable expenses. Santistevan’s office previously investigated issues, including special leave payouts to departing city officials and misuse of federal COVID funds.
“The Accountability in Government Oversight Ordinance allows the Committee to defer the release of a report for up to one meeting, but does not allow it to continue to hide these reports,” Lewis wrote in the letter…