Jerry Apodaca was, simply, the best governor New Mexico has produced since statehood.
Unlike some governors after him, he saw the governorship not as a set of theatrical moves temporarily postponing one’s march toward post-gubernatorial eminence, but, corny as it sounds today, as a mandate for improving the impact of state government on our lives.
And unlike some governors before him, he saw his job not as an exercise in rewarding donors and party loyalists with crumbs of power and prestige, but as a noble quest to make state government be all that it could be.
Given the condition of state government at the time, it was not only to revel in his longshot victory at the polls that he ordered the band to play “To Dream the Impossible Dream” as he made his entrance into his first inaugural ball. It was also about the job ahead.
Jerry Apodaca died on April 26, 2023, at the age of 88, of complications from a stroke.
But Apodaca was not Quixote. He tilted not at fantasy windmills, but at the rock-hard reality of the status quo. When he came to office state government was a patchwork of hundreds of state agencies, virtually all of them headed by a governor’s appointee, each reporting directly to him or, worse, to a board or commission. Given the competition for a governor’s time, most agency heads, except during scandals, spent no more than a few minutes with the governor during what then was a four-year tenure in office.
The ship of state had many rudders, not all pointing in the same direction, allowing virtually no accountability except when the press uncovered an outrage. It is the crowning achievement thus far in the evolution of our state government that Apodaca was able to toss this enormous salad of agencies into a cabinet system of twelve departments, each headed by an appointee reporting directly to him. This move singlehandedly created stronger accountability, better accessibility, efficiency, and closer relations between agencies. It enabled future governors to create coherence in the direction of state government, and it ushered New Mexico government into the twentieth century.
Apodaca was elected in 1974 to a four-year term without re-election. He was the first Hispanic governor after Republican Octaviano Larrazolo was elected in 1918. In the mid-1970s Hispanics were in the minority in the state, and identity politics was just taking hold at the national level.
Characteristically, Apodaca refused to become an “ethnic” governor, choosing instead to be judged by his accomplishments in governing the whole enchilada. But each month he poured over the list of new hires in state government, making sure Hispanics were proportionately represented. Without much fanfare or backlash, the bottom line for Hispanics in state government improved. In the partisan divide, Apodaca never hesitated to consult with Republican legislators, seeking advice and support.
Anyone visiting the Roundhouse during the past few decades has seen the magnificent artwork—sculptures and paintings—throughout the building. This, too, was an achievement of Apodaca’s administration. Clara Apodaca, his wife, was tasked with displaying the state’s art collection on those walls, and I, along with thousands of people with business at the Roundhouse, can vouch that on frustrating days within the bowels of state government, I found solace in exploring the details of some of those masterpieces. Thank you, Clara and Jerry!
A star halfback at the University of New Mexico in the mid-1950’s, and a teacher and coach after college, Apodaca understood the importance of discipline. He finished the Boston Marathon in 1978. He was skilled in working with small teams. His staff was youngish, smart, ambitious. They came from all walks of life, including (at that time rare) a strong contingent of savvy women. He had a sharp temper; his staff, I am told, learned to navigate through or around it; those outside the circle lived in greater fear. As a young assistant professor at NMSU I had no connections to the administration (I was working in California when he was elected in 1974), but from a distance I was impressed with the depth, breadth, and quality of his people. In truth, I viewed them with envy.
Apodaca’s life after his governorship was not a bed of roses. He lost a bid for a U.S. Senate seat in 1982. His business ventures seldom took hold. He and his wife divorced. And his health during the last two decades was plagued by a series of strokes.
State government was organized in New Mexico at the beginning of the twentieth century, when state government did little more than build little red schoolhouses and fix roads and bridges. By mid-century, citizens throughout the country were demanding far more from state government, but inadequate organizational structures in New Mexico remained in place. While many observers had pinpointed these inefficiencies, it was Jerry Apodaca who cut through the clutter and got the job done.
Goodbye, Guv. Ya done good.
Dr. Garcia is a retired professor of politics at NMSU. He also served as Secretary of Higher Education from 2011-2015.