Tim Keller (politician)

Early life and career

Keller was born and raised in Albuquerque. His father was a founder of Union Savings Bank and his mother was a public school teacher and homemaker. After graduation from the University of Notre Dame, he co-founded a social enterprise, Digital Divide Data (DDD), which employs and trains disadvantaged persons in Cambodia. DDD now also works in Laos and Kenya and has more than 1000 employees. The organization was ranked by Fast Company magazine as a global Top Innovator and by The Global Journal as one of the Top 100 NGOs worldwide. Prior to that, Keller worked as an investment banker with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette where he focused on energy technology corporate finance.

After completing his M.B.A. at the Harvard Business School, he returned to New Mexico. Keller later worked in the community, volunteering for groups that foster economic opportunities in Albuquerque's Southeast Heights. Keller has served on the boards of New Mexico Private Equity Funds, the Open Hands Foundation, the Asian American Association, and Albuquerque Southeast Team for Entrepreneur Development.

New Mexico Senate

Keller was elected in 2008 to represent the people of New Mexico Senate District 17.

In the 49th Legislative Session, Keller introduced 30 pieces of legislation passing 8; 4 of which were signed into law by Governor Bill Richardson.

In the 2011–2012 50th Legislative Session, Keller introduced 55 pieces of legislation, passed 14 pieces of legislation, and 5 were signed into law by Governor Susana Martinez including reforming the ‘In-State Business Preference’ that gives local businesses bidding preference on state government procurement.

Keller is viewed by New Mexico Democrats as a potential future statewide candidate.

Term as Majority Whip: In December 2012, Keller was elected to the New Mexico State Senate leadership as Majority Whip and served two years until resigning after his election to State Auditor.

Auditor's election

Keller announced in spring 2013 that he would seek the office of State Auditor. He ran on a platform of transparency and good government policies that would stop fraud, waste, and abuse before it occurs. During the election, Keller released a TV commercial that received national attention for being one of the most innovative and entertaining political ads of this cycle. On November 4, 2014 Keller was elected State Auditor, defeating Robert Aragon, 54%-46%.

New Mexico State Auditor

As State Auditor, Keller focuses on helping government work better by providing transparency and accountability for government spending; informing policy choices; and tackling fraud, waste and abuse.

Special Investigations -

As State Auditor, Keller has worked to safeguard New Mexican’s tax dollars and shine a light on cases of fraud, waste and abuse across the state. These Special Investigations include:

• Statewide Law Enforcement – a special audit of New Mexico’s backlog of untested Sexual Assault Evidence Kits, commonly known as “rape kits”

• Superintendent of Insurance - $200 million uncollected premiums tax

• Charter schools/APS/PED – lack of oversight, doctored receipts

• City of Santa Fe – misappropriation of a $40 million Park Bond

• Public Education Department –special education underfunded by millions

• City of Albuquerque/Taser – procurement violations, “greased” contracts to TASER

• Developmental Disabilities Planning Council – embezzlement of funds meant for people with disabilities

• Alamogordo – water billing fraud

• Cibola County Commission – government credit cards used for personal purchases including a semi-automatic weapon, baseball tickets

• Hatch – city land purchase in Las Cruces

• McKinley County sheriff – misuse of DWI Funds

• Taxation and Revenue Department – preferential tax treatment, abuse of power

GAO-

As State Auditor, Keller created the first Government Accountability Office in New Mexico. The GAO is focused on bringing transparency and accountability to the agencies that receive and spend public money. The GAO aims to make the important information buried in the 900+ audits and financial reports that New Mexico state and local agencies produce each year accessible and understandable to the public.

The GAO has compiled reports including:

• The Findings Report: A Summary of New Mexico’s Governmental Financial Audits

• Money on the Sidelines: Report on Unspent Fund Balances

• Risk Advisory: School Personnel Act Compliance

Trickle Out Economics -

Keller conducted a study on "trickle out economics", a tally of how much of New Mexico's government spending is flowing to out of state companies. Local business is losing out on more than $500 million due to government agencies contracting with out of state companies. The largest percentage of money leaves the state from the IT, health and medical and food services industries. On the other hand, architecture and engineering sectors in state received 91% of the tax dollars spent last year.

OSI -

After discovering that the Office of the Superintendent of Insurance (OSI) had failed to collect hundreds of millions of dollars in premium taxes from insurance companies, Keller initiated a special audit to get to the bottom of how much is owed and how to ensure it is collected.

State CAFR-

Following an over year late release, New Mexico’s FY 13 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), troublingly, reported millions of unaccounted for funds. Auditor Keller immediately launched an audit of the CAFR to ensure all New Mexican’s tax dollars are utilized to their fullest extent.

Money on the Sidelines Report-

Auditor Keller announced the “Money on the Sidelines” report which found 4.5 billion unused state funds. This report, the first of its kind from the Auditor’s office, is meant as a tool to help the Governor’s office and the legislature to identify these funds and how to best appropriate them.