No Action, No Answers: Commission’s Executive Session Yields Familiar Silence on City Manager - Golf Course RFP Clarified

ALAMOGORDO — The City Commission met in a hastily called special session Thursday evening, recessed behind closed doors to be briefed on pending litigation and the long-running search for a permanent city manager, and emerged just over an hour later having taken no action — the same outcome residents have heard at roughly the last ten meetings.

The commission convened at 5:32 p.m. with a quorum of six. Mayor Sharon McDonnell presided alongside Mayor Pro Tem Josh Reardon and Commissioners Baxter Petillo, Steven Burnett, Al Hernandez and Mark Tapley. Commissioner Warren Robinson was absent; staff said they had been unable to reach him before the meeting. Commissioner Robinson had been out of town dealing with a family situation of the death of his son. His absence was understandable for this non-critical special session. 

Executive session: litigation and the manager’s job

Late in the meeting the commission voted 6-0 to recess into closed session, citing two exemptions to the state Open Meetings Act: NMSA 1978 § 10-15-1(H)(2) for limited personnel matters and city manager recruitment, and § 10-15-1(H)(7) for matters subject to attorney-client privilege involving threatened or pending litigation in which the city is or may become a participant.

The litigation hanging over the closed session stems from a complaint pressed by resident Chris Edwards and an allied citizens’ group  Concerned Citizens of Alamogordo critical of how a bloc of commissioners has handled city governance, city manager search and seeking the release of executive session documents and a demand of transparency. The commission has repeatedly retreated into executive session to discuss the matter rather than air it publicly.

The body recessed at 6:04 p.m. and reconvened in open session more than an hour later. The statement read upon return tracked closely with the language the commission has used meeting after meeting: members said they had been updated by the city attorney on the attorney-client-privileged matter pertaining to threatened or pending litigation, and that no decision had been made on hiring or on the city manager recruitment. “No action,” the mayor confirmed. The commission then adjourned.

For residents following the saga, the statement offered nothing new — a now-familiar acknowledgment that litigation and the manager’s position were discussed, paired with a declaration that nothing was decided.

Public comment: staffing, streets and a call for transparency

The closed-door drama was preceded by a string of pointed public comments.

Tamara Hanson, president of AFSCME Local 3818, opened by praising the city’s lone fire inspector before turning a sharp eye on the commission. She argued that members had failed to question alarming staffing shortages laid out in a recent Public Works briefing — citing nine fully-staffed positions expected to maintain dozens of buildings, hundreds of lights, traffic signals, school zones and airport runway lighting, plus vacancies at the wastewater treatment plant that she warned could expose the city to state and federal fines. Her message: infrastructure that serves the whole city should outrank attention to the municipal golf course.

Hanson also relayed a note from resident Chris Benitez, who could not attend, comparing Arizona Avenue to “an off-road racetrack” and urging the district’s new commissioner to act.

Resident Katie Owens blasted what she called the “railroading” of the golf course contract and pointed to dangerous local streets — singling out a rail crossing on First Street she said could kill someone — as the real priorities.

Sheri Atkinson focused on the city manager question, asking the commission not to hire anyone until a transparent public process is held and the full settlement agreement is disclosed. She questioned why the city would bring on an outside candidate over its current acting manager and credited Chris Edwards and Alamogordo Town News with keeping the public informed.

That comment was not well received by 3 members of the commission with Mayor Pro Tem Rardin turning red faced and staring harshly forward, while dressed in a simple T shirt disrespectful to his position on the Dias. 

Golf course superintendent Michael Bradley defended his crew, his resume and his efforts describing rock-hard soil that he said will take roughly two years to recover under current treatment and asking the commission to give the course time before handing operations to an outside firm.

Golf course RFP advanced via the commission. 

In its one piece of substantive open-session business, the commission moved the golf course forward. Acting City Manager Stephanie Hernandez told members she had added the item because of looming contract deadlines and because she wanted clear direction after what she described as conflicting signals on whether maintenance should be included, optional or bid as an alternate.

Hernandez walked the public through how the city arrived at the deadline crunch, explaining that the existing arrangement with G&L Golf had been stretched through repeated extensions, that operator Grant intends to retire, and that his contract must now be extended through December to keep the pro shop and restaurant — and by extension the course — open. Of three qualifying bidders who presented earlier in the year, she said, two wanted control of maintenance and one sought a seat at the table

Note the staffing question was harshly questioned by Commissioner Al Hernandez asking is budget changes or requests for more staff were a part of budget discussions. Dr Hernandez reminded him that the staff makes a budget recommendation based upon revenue projections and business needs of the city, however the commission owns the budget as the citizen body. As such they own the budget and each department’s staffing numbers. If Al Hernandez and a majority of the commissioners wanted to allocate additional staff resources to the golf course, road crew repairs or fire inspection it is within their power to do so as they ultimately own the budget for  certification. The staff management role is to present a balanced budget that best reflects department needs and at the best cost to taxpayers. 

After discussion, Commissioner Petillo moved to issue the request for proposals as written, with maintenance included and no bid alternate. Tapley seconded, and it passed 6-0.

The meeting adjourned following the executive session statement.

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