From opioid settlement transparency to banking deserts, think tank CEO talks policy issues in N.M.

Patrick M. Brenner is founder, president and CEO of the Southwest Public Policy Institute, a New Mexico-based public policy think tank with a stated mission to deliver data-driven research, advance government transparency and safeguard consumer choice across the Southwest. In the latest episode of the “Around the Roundhouse” podcast, Brenner joins Santa Fe New Mexican state politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón to talk about a range of topics including what his think tank does, how it is funded and some of the policies the institute is currently focused on. Brenner also discusses what led him to depart the Rio Grand Foundation, an Albuquerque-based think tank, and eventually create his own. Brenner touches on issues including opioid settlement transparency, New Mexico’s Inspection of Public Records Act, banking deserts, housing affordability and more. A former Republican, Brenner also speaks about what led him to leave the party and offers some thoughts on New Mexico’s gubernatorial race.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.