The selection committee tasked with finding New Mexico’s first child advocate, who will look into problems in the state’s troubled child welfare system, has narrowed the search to eight candidates.

The committee and New Mexico Department of Justice — to which the new Office of Child Advocate will be administratively attached — did not share details or résumés about the eight remaining candidates. The finalists were selected from roughly 20 total applications from prospects in and out of New Mexico for the job.

In declining to release details about the candidates during an interview, the committee chair, Rep. Michelle “Paulene” Abeyta, D-To’hajiilee, said the job was “such a high-profile position and the work that they would be assigned to do was so heavy that we wanted to keep this inter

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