6 candidates used for the metropolis of Deming’s Local community Providers Director situation when it was posted after the city terminated Alexi Jackson’s agreement in November. The posture oversees a broad vary of city tasks, like metropolis parks, roadways and much more.
City documents show 4 guys and two ladies filed applications and/or letters of curiosity, including a few current city workers. Five of the 6 had been Deming citizens. The sixth was a gentleman from Lincoln County whose title stood out: Ruidoso Village Manager Timothy Dodge.
On Dec. 2, two days after Deming posted the career opening on-line, Dodge was put on paid administrative leave from his position in Ruidoso, a position he had held considering the fact that 2019, pending an investigation by an exterior agency into allegations of stalking by a village employee. The village council terminated him at a particular assembly Tuesday early morning in a unanimous vote.
Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford cited the third-bash investigation in a assertion announcing Dodge’s firing, whilst staying away from any declaration as to Dodge’s guilt: “It is not a selection that was taken evenly by possibly the Village Council or myself. We have reviewed the results of the investigation and believe that this is the finest selection to maintain Village enterprise transferring in a favourable path.”
The Ruidoso worker acquired a non permanent protective purchase from the 12th Judicial District Court docket, alleging in court petitions that Dodge had repeatedly known as and despatched her text messages stating he was “obsessed” with her and experienced surveilled her. At a preliminary listening to Dec. 30, Dodge argued through his counsel that he did not know specifics of the allegations introduced in opposition to him, the Carlsbad Latest-Argus reported. The civil case was dropped this week at the request of the worker, stating that Dodge’s termination “significantly reduced” publicity to the behaviors she cited in her complaint. The courtroom voided a temporary restraining order that experienced been in force into February.
One week into his administrative go away, Dodge applied for the Deming career. In his letter of curiosity, he pointed to his extensive history in municipal authorities, including positions at the village and, just before that, the cities of Santa Rosa and Las Vegas in New Mexico.
“I have labored in modest and medium rural communities,” Dodge wrote in a letter dealt with to Deming Mayor Benny Jasso. “I fully grasp the require for arranging, efficiency, diversifying economies, and for area governments to diversify their revenues. I have some quite innovative suggestions and have been modern in my technique to guiding the communities I have served, and I know I will be an asset to the City of Deming and your Administration.”
Deming Town Council chambers at the John Strand Municipal Making, observed on Nov. 29, 2022. (Headlight staff members photograph by Algernon D’Ammassa)
Jasso in the long run appointed Azucena Vargas, who experienced worked in Deming’s General public Works Department for five decades, to the Community Solutions put up with unanimous metropolis council approval. A different personnel who experienced used for the situation, Raul Madrid, was named Assistant Community Services Director.
In her letter, Vargas cited her knowledge at the town and doing work interactions with “contractors, builders, entrepreneurs, supervisors, employees and the public,” as very well as her familiarity with budgeting and procurement processes.
“I imagine that my do the job background and achievements confirm my ability to acquire on new obligations and my probable to establish my vocation at the Metropolis of Deming,” she wrote.
Jackson, Vargas’ predecessor, was terminated on Nov. 29 in a motion alleging violations of metropolis insurance policies and treatments pertaining to drug and alcohol use, use of city net and electronic mail assistance, purchases of products and solutions and a necessity that staff keep a valid New Mexico driver’s license.
Jackson experienced also lately raised allegations of method-extensive overbilling of residents for municipal drinking water, which the metropolis denied as it introduced an impartial audit into metered utilities and billing procedures.
Algernon D’Ammassa can be attained at [email protected]
