Letter on City Hall Workplace Concerns Reaches Commission, Press and Former City Leaders; City Manager Responds

ALAMOGORDO, N.M. — An anonymous letter raising workplace conduct concerns at Alamogordo City Hall has reached the mayor and City Commission, city administration, AlamogordoTownNews and former members of the city’s staff leadership.

The letter repeats concerns that city employees first described to AlamogordoTownNews for our Oct. 1 commentary. City Manager Robert Stockwell confirmed Monday that City Hall received it, and he responded in writing the same evening.

The letter’s author is unknown and its claims have not been verified. AlamogordoTownNews is withholding the names, titles and departments it identifies, along with details that could point to specific employees, given allegations are not proven. 

Who received the letter

The letter is addressed to the mayor, the mayor pro tem, the five city commissioners and Human Resources. Stockwell confirmed City Hall received it Monday and said it “has been distributed to the Mayor and Commissioners.”

AlamogordoTownNews received the same letter by mail, in an envelope postmarked Oct. 3. Copies also went to former members of the city’s staff leadership, AlamogordoTownNews has learned.

That distribution puts the concerns in front of people inside and outside current city government. The writer identifies as a city employee. “I am making this report anonymously because I am afraid of retaliation,” the letter states.

What the letter raises

The one-page letter raises three concerns and asks that each be looked into.

• Perceived favoritism. The writer describes what appears to be a close relationship between senior leaders, including long closed-door meetings. Employees believe it gives one department head outsized access and influence, the letter says, and it is hurting morale. The writer states they have not personally witnessed anything physical or romantic and do not want to claim otherwise.

 A possible conflict of interest. The writer asks whether a relationship between two senior staff members of equal rank could lead to different treatment in city financial decisions. The writer says they were told the relationship does not violate city policy.

Comments about an employee’s appearance. The writer reports, under the city’s sexual harassment policy, hearing a supervisor comment more than once on a subordinate’s physical appearance. The comments were not directed at the  letter writer.

The writer says the report is not meant to cause trouble. The letter cites the city’s stated zero-tolerance policy and asks that the concerns “at least be looked into.”

The city manager responds

Stockwell answered in three emails to AlamogordoTownNews on Monday evening.

He denied any improper conduct on his own part.

“There is no improper relationship between me and any employees of the city,” he wrote. He said he fully understands his role and would not compromise his impartiality and professionalism toward city employees, or the integrity of any employee.

He said private meetings with senior staff are routine.

“I routinely meet with the senior staff behind closed doors dealing with matters that must be kept confidential and/or often to simply block out conversations and noise from hallways and adjoining offices.”

On the harassment report, he gave a one-sentence commitment: “The allegation of sexual harassment will be handled in full accordance with City policy.”

On the conflict-of-interest question, Stockwell pointed to oversight. “The city’s finances are ultimately the responsibility of the city manager who is accountable to the city commission,” he wrote. Anyone suggesting favored treatment toward a department, he added, “simply doesn’t understand the checks and balances built into the systems.”

He also wrote that relationships between colleagues “are neither inappropriate nor unusual in our society.” Six minutes later he sent a clarification: “What I meant to say was ‘co-equal colleagues.’”

The emails did not say who will conduct the harassment review, whether it will be handled inside City Hall or by an outside party, or when it will conclude.

How it ties to our earlier reporting

The Oct. 1 commentary drew on accounts from several city employees over the prior 60 days. They described comments about a coworker’s appearance, a perception that favor shapes how staff are treated, and fear of speaking up.

The letter covers the same ground. It describes a remark about an employee’s appearance that closely resembles one those employees recounted, and the writer says they heard it firsthand. It also describes the same perception of preferential treatment for staff seen as close to top administration.

The letter is not independent proof. It was postmarked two days after the commentary ran, and AlamogordoTownNews cannot determine whether its author is among the employees who spoke to us earlier.

What has changed is the record.

The concerns are now in writing before the commission and Human Resources, they have circulated beyond City Hall, and the city manager has answered them on the record.

What comes next

The mayor and commissioners now have the letter, and the city manager has committed to handling the harassment report under city policy. The next regular City Commission meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 6:30 p.m.

Our Oct. 1 commentary called for an independent review of workplace complaints by an outside firm or attorney reporting to the full commission. Whether the commission will take that step is not yet known. The public should demand it and the commission should insist on it and a public report should be made on how to get the city’s house in order which now appears to be running amok. 

The writer’s fear of retaliation is addressed in law. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act makes it illegal to retaliate against an employee who reports harassment or cooperates with an investigation.

This is a developing story.

AlamogordoTownNews will report on any review, its outcome and rather the majority of the commission members act in a manner of professionalism and transparency. The commission should require the city manager to hire an experienced and external legal review of the complaints, policies and recent cultural that had led to these allegations. Stay tuned. 

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