Retiring HED Boss Made Mark on Land, Government By David Staats At the Journals Capitol Bureau, June 1988 SANTA FE --- When Larry J. Gordon steps earning $59,000 thousand a year contributing to down as Secretary of the Health and the state pension fund, where he said he has built Environment Department June 30, he will end a 41 years of service credit. career as one of the most enduring Gordon plans to retire to Albuquerque of environmental officials in New Mexico consulting, backpacking, fishing, and some government. active duty for the Navy in public health. To some, the 61-year-old Gordon is a The Oklahoma native spent a year as a high consummate professional, a forceful advocate of school teacher in 1949 before starting with the environmental protection and health care. He is New Mexico Health Department as an entrance- the person who brought morale building stability grade sanitarian and working his way up. to HED after seven successive secretaries and In 1955, he became chief of Albuquerque’s numerous political battles under Gov. Toney Health Department, a post he held until 1968. Anaya. During his tenure, the department’s name was To others, Gordon is an arrogant bureaucrat changed to the Environmental Health who specializes in towing to his superior’s line, Department and its duties and size grew even at the expense of the environmental dramatically. advocacy he makes his hallmark. To them, his He directed the Environmental Services tenure at HED has been a disappointment. Division of the former Health and Social Gordon surprised officials and observers last Services Department under Republican Gov. month when he announced that he would step David Cargo in the late 1960s. In 1971, under down after 18 months as head of state Democrat Gov. Bruce King, he became the first government’s largest agency. director of the New Mexico Environmental Gov. Garrey Carruthers said Gordon would be Improvement Agency. Gordon had proposed the succeeded by Carla Muth, HED’s deputy agency to King after the 1970 election and the secretary. Legislature approved it. Gordon said his resignation is for personal “This was an effort to bring together diverse reasons, including “some family business I’ve programs,” he said of EIA, the predecessor of been paying inadequate attention to,” such as HED’s Environmental Improvement Division. real estate. “The Agency got a significantly enhanced Gordon, a democrat, said his resignation was budget when it was first created --- EID was then not prompted by any personal or policy and still is the most comprehensive, in terms of disagreements with Carruthers. The Republican scope, state environmental agency in the nation. Governor’s election was opposed by That’s the way I designed it.” environmentalists who feared he would impose Gordon moved to the state scientific James Watt-style policies in New Mexico. laboratory system in 1973 as its director. The Carruthers was an assistant U.S. Interior legislature approved his plan to have one secretary when Watt was secretary. laboratory provide comprehensive services to “He’s been one of the greatest bosses I’ve ever state and local governments, including police had,” Gordon said. “There has been zero and health agencies. political intervention. He has let me hire my own “In most states you find 10 or 12 labs doing staff without regard to the party they belong to.” the work we do in one,” he said. “We have on Nor is the retirement prompted by pension of the best-equipped, most accurate labs in the cares, he said. A bill introduced in the 1987 nation today. New Mexicans should be very legislature would have Gordon and others to proud of it.” work as independent contractors instead of He later administered health and employees to lift their pension benefits. The bill environmental programs in the Health and Social did not pass. Gordon went on the state payroll Services Department. In 19d73, the Legislature approved Gov. Jerry Apodaca’s reorganization would step in there would be a failure to act.” of state government and established HED. He also stayed out of the limelight on other Gordon became deputy secretary, where he major issues facing the department recently, remained through 1982, the end of Bruce King’s including care for the mentally ill and the future second term. of the Environmental Evaluation Group, the Gordon went back to his old Albuquerque job scientific group that monitors the Waste form 1982 to 1986. Carruthers tapped him to Isolation Pilot Plant on the state’s behalf. direct his transition team for HED after the 1986 The low profile reflects Gordon’s desire to election, and then appointed him secretary. delegate responsibility to subordinates. Muth Over the years, Gordon has been instrumental has handled the mental health issues, while in passing numerous state and local laws, Kirkland Jones, deputy director of the including the state air and water quality laws and Environmental Improvement Division, took the an occupational health and safety act. By any lead on EEG before Carruthers, facing standard, his resume is impressive, with 21ddddd congressional pressure, agreed to transfer EEG professional memberships and affiliations and 15 from HED to the New Mexico Institute of awards. He was president of the American Mining Technology. Public Health Association in 1980-81 and the Gordon also has re-opened the department to association gave him its highest award in 1987. the news media, ending a prior policy that Because of his record, Gordon’s appointment restricted press. to HED was greeted favorably by Leonard Napolitano, dean of the University of environmentalists, who had favored Democrat New Mexico Medical School, credits Gordon Ray Powell over Carruthers. But some had with bringing experience and stability to HED reservations. and for taking an active role in the board Lynda Taylor, a representative of the overseeing the Office of the Medical Investigator Conservation Voters Alliance, said Gordon used at UNM. to send her copies of his speeches about once a “He’s one of the country’s leading public month, before he became secretary. She still has health experts with particular emphasis on them, and occasionally consults them for prevention of disease an maintenance of health,” inspiration. Napolitano said through a spokesman. Gordon contends his legislative achievements Howard Shaver, president of the New Mexico “have significantly improved the quality of our Hospital Association agreed. air, water, food and land, and have been of great “He’s always been a professional first, significance in economic development.” committed to the job in a professional way,” But he acknowledges the state is doing “a very Shaver said. “The state has been well-served by poor job” in managing solid and hazardous him.” wastes, indoor radon pollution, underground The state laboratory has been funded storage tanks, occupational safety and health, consistently by the Legislature and never has and ground water pollution. become a political football,” Shaver said. “We have the structure, the mechanism, but no “That’s a credit to how it got set up by Larry,” money,” he said. “We have significantly painful he said. budget problems in this department. Selma Sierra, Carruthers’ deputy for public Carruthers plans to introduce a prevention- affairs, said Gordon has been one of the oriented health package in the 1989 legislative administration’s best Cabinet secretaries. session that will include improved funding for Carruthers wants Gordon to keep working with HED, he said. the administration after June 30th in an advisory Gordon has deliberately stayed out of or part-time capacity, and Gordon said he has Albuquerque’s air pollution controversies since agreed, although details haven’t been worked taking over HED. “The only reason the state out. .