Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Friday that Indian Affairs cabinet secretary James Mountain is leaving his post less than a year into the job to take on a new role as a policy advisor.
His appointment angered advocates working on cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women. They pointed to sexual assault charges against Mountain, saying he wasn’t the right person to lead the state agency.
The governor’s office confirmed Friday that James Mountain, former governor of the Pueblo of San Ildefonso, has a new role as senior policy adviser for tribal affairs.
Josett Monette will take the reins of the Indian Affairs Department, after serving previously in roles as deputy director and general counsel at the agency. Monette is affiliated with the North Dakota-based Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa.
Advocate and attorney Darlene Gomez said the appointment of a new cabinet secretary isn’t much of a change.
“It's like musical chairs, they're just changing the positions of the players that have been involved,” she said.
Lujan Grisham’s office pointed out that charges against Mountain were dismissed in 2010 after prosecutors said they didn’t have enough evidence to go to trial, and it urged those raising concerns about his past to “respect the judicial process and acknowledge the results.”
Gomez represents 2o families and said many felt unsafe after hearing about Mountain's charges. She said the Indian Affairs division needs to make missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives a high priority.
“That they're transparent, that they tell the citizens of New Mexico what their plan is,” she said. “We're going from being number one in the entire United States in having an actionable plan to where we're just stepping all these steps behind.”
The office of the Governor did not indicate whether Mountain’s new position was because of the accusations against him. Mountain has also recently been appointed to the All Pueblo Council of Governors.