SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 37

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2010

INTRODUCED BY

Timothy Z. Jennings

A JOINT MEMORIAL

EXTOLLING THE LIFE OF MARALYN BUDKE AND EXPRESSING THE SORROW OF THE LEGISLATURE ON HER DEATH.

     WHEREAS, Maralyn Budke was born on February 6, 1936 and passed away on January 9, 2010 with her beloved dog, Adobe, at her side; and

     WHEREAS, this stark statement belies the extraordinary life of an extraordinary woman who worked behind the scenes of New Mexico history to improve the lives of all New Mexicans; and

     WHEREAS, Maralyn grew up in Amarillo, Texas, the daughter of Herbert and Sue Budke and received her bachelor's and master's degrees, with honors, in political science and government from the university of New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, in 1958, she served as a student intern for the office of the legislative fiscal analyst in the legislative council service and, as such, assisted the legendary Inez Gill in staffing the one-year-old legislative finance committee, after which she was hired as assistant fiscal analyst in 1959 and served in that post until a heart attack temporarily felled Ms. Gill and caused the restructuring of the committee staffing in 1965; and

     WHEREAS, Maralyn was named the executive secretary of the legislative finance committee, because the committee could not bring itself to give a woman the title of director, and served in that capacity until recruited by Governor David Cargo to work on his administrative staff; and

     WHEREAS, Maralyn Budke rejoined the legislative finance committee staff, this time as director, on November 18, 1968 and served until her retirement in 1982; and

     WHEREAS, her tenure began just as the legislative finance committee started to prepare independent legislative budget recommendations and broadened its scope in state finance oversight, and many of the committee's processes that are still in place, including fiscal impact reports, were developed by Maralyn; and

     WHEREAS, Maralyn was a brilliant strategist, whose instant recall of the smallest detail of the state budget made her invaluable to the several chairmen she so ably served, including legislative giants Representative John Mershon and Senator Aubrey Dunn; and

     WHEREAS, Representative Mershon said of her, "She says what needs to be said. She can look people in the eye and tell them the truth — and make them like it."; and

     WHEREAS, Maralyn is considered to have been one of the most important and influential women ever to serve in New Mexico government, and she was a consummate professional who always displayed the highest principles and ethical standards; and

     WHEREAS, the committee staff who Maralyn taught, tutored and mentored over the years reads like a "Who's Who" of state government in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries; and

     WHEREAS, Maralyn returned to state government as Governor Garrey Carruthers' chief of staff for the princessly sum of one dollar ($1.00) per year, reputedly raised to three dollars ($3.00) at the end when she served as both chief of staff and secretary of health; and

     WHEREAS, Governor Carruthers has said of Maralyn Budke, "Of all the public servants I've known, she has to be the finest."; and

     WHEREAS, Maralyn is credited with establishing the state's first motor pool, consolidating control of the state's hospitals, improving the corrections department, playing a major role in reforming the old bureau of revenue and pushing for the creation of the university of New Mexico school of medicine and the university hospital, among other things; and her last service for the state was serving as the chair of the higher education funding formula task force and serving on the governor's ethics reform task force; and

     WHEREAS, in addition to her public service, Maralyn was well-known for her philanthropic work, supporting the university of New Mexico's school of medicine and its hospitals and serving on the boards of Santa Maria el Mirador, the university of New Mexico foundation, Sangre de Cristo animal protection, incorporated, and the New Mexico international women's forum; and

     WHEREAS, after her second retirement from state government, Maralyn pursued her interest in the preservation of endangered species and embarked upon five African safaris and a trip to Antarctica; and

     WHEREAS, in recognition of her significant contributions to public and charitable service, Maralyn Budke was named as a "Santa Fe Living Treasure" in 2006; and

     WHEREAS, in her incalculable influence as director of the legislative finance committee, the legacy of her two stints as gubernatorial chief of staff and her generous philanthropic work, Maralyn Budke's spirit will live on in New Mexico, and past, current and future generations of New Mexicans owe her a debt of gratitude;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it recognize and commend Maralyn Budke's invaluable service to the legislature and to the state and its residents; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it express its sorrow as well as its deepest sympathies and condolences to Maralyn's many friends and colleagues; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the legislative finance committee and to Anita Lockwood for distribution to Maralyn's friends.

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