Former New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions Secretary Bill McCamley said threats against himself and his family caused him to resign and plan to leave the state.
McCamley, who took the position in 2019, explained his reasons for departing both from his state position and from New Mexico in a series of tweets on Thursday. McCamley said in March, a man had called a local Workforce Solutions office and asked for McCamley’s address.
In a tweet, he said the man “blamed me for his wife's unemployment issues and was asking ‘where I lived and when I was at home.’ He had a history of instability and an intimate knowledge of automatic weapons.”
Bill McCamley
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McCamley said he later received a letter at his home from an unemployment claimant, and believed that meant it was just a matter of time before his home address would be published on social media, exposing him to potential danger. He then told Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham he would resign effective April 16.
Five days after informing the governor, his mother received a letter at her home, further strengthening his resolve to resign.
“I have received threats before as a public official, but this time seems different,” McCamley said on Twitter
“Furthermore, with the attempted kidnapping of Michigan Gov. Whitmer, the Jan 6th insurrection, and recently with the AZ Secretary of State having to receive 24 hour police protection in the face of threats, it has become painfully obvious that at this time in history certain people are willing to express their anger in violent ways,” he wrote. “For me this reached a point where I firmly believe that if I stayed I would be putting my life and the lives of people I care about in jeopardy.”
He said the fire-bombing of a state car parked by a Las Cruces office, broken windows in state offices and people trying to fight security guards added to his unease.
The threats and perception of danger came in the wake of reports that the Department of Workforce Solutions had overpaid unemployment claims by $250 million, including $133 million in fraudulent claims.
Still, McCamley, 43, said he was “immensely proud of the work accomplished by the department in the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression.” He said Lujan Grisham and her whole team “have been nothing but supportive, classy and understanding.”
He also called for a lowering of the temperature of public discourse, saying the media and public need to “think strongly about their tone.”
Prior to being named to lead the state department, McCamley was a Democratic candidate for state auditor in 2018, losing to Brian S. Colon 62.5% to 37.5% in the June 5 primary. Colon was elected in the fall.
McCamley had been a state legislator representing District 33 in the Las Cruces area from 2012-18, was a Doña Ana County commissioner and had served as executive director of the New Mexico Rural Development Council.