The ABQ Accent | Ep 28 - Ethan Watson

Ethan Watson, CABQ City Clerk

Have you ever considered how transparency comes into effect in real life? Ethan Watson says that “transparency is an ecosystem,” and through this conversation I came to understand that he is absolutely correct – it takes multiple players, on the same beam, if you will, of access to information to ensure transparency comes to fruition in both state and federal systems.

Albuquerque’s City Clerk is the chief records custodian for the state’s largest public records program, and does so with the understanding that the system needs to continuously evolve to meet the needs of the public while adhering to national best practices. Ethan and his growing staff have implemented systems that streamline the process for records management and response to requests – requests that have tripled since Covid.

Check out this conversation to better understand the purpose of the Clerk’s Office, and to understand why March 17-21 is called Sunshine Week – a celebration of our national transparency laws. Ethan and his staff work diligently to improve processes, something that you can easily recognize in the latest Inspection of Public Records Act report, link below.

• How the office is reducing backlog: https://www.cabq.gov/clerk/news/fy-2025-second-quarter-ipra-backlog-report
• Sunshine Week info https://sunshineweek.org/