Council questions fitness; City manager hits back

Council questions fitness; City manager hits back

GRANTS, N.M. – “Vanessa, I like you,” City of Grants Mayor Pro Tem Rick Lucero said at the Oct. 21 Grants City Council meeting, “Okay, I think you’re a great person. But I have some concerns and I think some of our employees around the city have some concerns about you as a city manager and how you approach your communication and how you’re dealing with people – and the lack of it at some point. My question is, are you suitable to do your job?”

The pointed question came after the chief of police at Grants Police Department resigned from his post on October 18. Mere seconds before the question from Lucero, the Grants/Cibola County Chamber of Commerce had just concluded a presentation about their upcoming events and lauded the city manager with praise over her communication skills, like reaching out to the executive director at the chamber and sending her emails for meetings and important events she hadn’t heard about for whatever reason.

“The question is to all of us, do you see that? Do your employees see that? I’m getting some bad vibes and some more information that – you know, the lack of communication – and just the lack of ability to do your job is concerning to me, and when its concerning to me its concerning to our community.” Pro Tem Lucero finished

“Can you be more specific there, Rick?” Mayor Martin “Modey” Hicks posed to his Pro Tem who responded,

“What do you mean?”

The mayor continued, “What are you talking about?”

Pro tem Lucero responded to the mayor by saying, “There was an incident at the golf course where a girl – or one of the employees had – wait – had COVID” but before he could finish his sentence, the city’s lawyer interrupted the discussion and said something inaudible in the recorded meeting on Facebook.

Mayor Hicks asked if Pro tem Lucero would like to see this as an item in executive session for the next meeting, which Pro tem Lucero said he would like to have.

“As far as COVID guys, we didn’t shutdown City Hall when COVID went through City Hall. We didn’t shutdown the maintenance department. Or the street department. We didn’t shut down the fire department, or the police department. We never shutdown anything because of COVID. We send people home, they get better, we clean the area and we go back to work, and now that’s a CDC protocol,” Mayor Hicks posed.

“Do you let people know that someone had COVID within that department or,” Lucero began before being cut off by the mayor who said,

“Why? That’s their medical history dude, you can’t do that, that’s against HIPAA law – that’s against HIPAA law.” The mayor went on to say that COVID-19 isn’t going anywhere, and to refocus the conversation, Manager Chavez rose to speak.

“So, first off, I’m just going to use this as an opportunity to communicate with the board, and please forgive me Marcus Rael, our new attorney. His name is Marcus Rael, please do not refer to him as the new attorney, and I apologize for not having your nameplate ready so please forgive me.

“I would like to mention that stepping into this seat is like David and Goliath, and let’s face it – it was not the best time to step into this position. So, with the finances being very close to us feeling like we were insolvent. Truly, being somebody with zero local government experience, I had to question myself, ‘how am I going to do this?’ and I don’t mind that you’re questioning it, because the truth is, I questioned it myself. With that, that’s why I went to the trainings. That’s why I went to the New Mexico Municipal League and made sure that I attended everything possible. I appreciate that [City Councilor] Eric [Garcia] went as well, we had great conversations with city managers who have been in office for over 20 years and fortunately, they reached out to me.

“Back in May, this was when I saw Ronnie Pynes at Mt. Taylor Coffee Company and he said, ‘hey, just to make you aware, the last city manager did not address this property that encroaches on Sakalares,’ that [City Councilor] Fred Rodarte mentioned, and the previous manager to that. He said, ‘two city managers have not been able to address this issue.’ So, on May 6, I addressed the issue. I wanted to be able to take the opportunity to be a city manager that helps our community by making sure that things that weren’t done, get done. So, in my mind, being an athlete, I’m going to persevere. I’m going to use teamwork, I’m going to make sure I ask people who know the answers – what do you need?

“Chief Hays, I asked him, and he even told me that I’m one of the only city managers who has actually been in his office. When he told me that I was sitting down wondering ‘why is that’ but its because I reached out to him. I reached out to every single department head and was gone a lot. I remember one of my coworkers said, ‘okay, we know you’re boots on the ground but how about you keep your boots here in city hall a little bit now?’

“Learning about the wastewater treatment plant: As you know, that was not a light decision to make. A $1.2 million contract – that is not a light decision to make, ‘oh, I think we’ll just drop that’ – No. I spoke with Mark Teshama, I spoke with Don Jaramillo, I spoke with every single councilor. I asked you to go with me to double and make sure, and when you wouldn’t go I sent you videos to make sure you knew what was going on up there. When all four blowers were down, when the compactor was full of poop – it took Jacobs itself, I think they said nine truckloads to get it all out.

“When I see problems, I address them. I say ‘we have to do something,’ I may not know the exact answer but I will ask every single person until we find the answer. And please, remember that today is the very first day we have a municipal attorney actually be here for advice. So all of April, June and July I had no one except all the people I met in those trainings and I’m sure they were sick and tired of me calling them. But I wanted to make sure that I protected the city and did not make decisions that put us in a liable situation.

“Yes, there were some issues going on with GPD which I am not allowed to speak about. But the bottom line is that when Steve Chavez resigned on Friday and David Chavez resigned today, I think that says a lot without saying a lot.

“That being said, it kept us out of litigation, and that’s what we want. We do not want to waste money – no offense – on wonderful attorneys. But those are tax payer dollars, your dollars, my dollars – to go to what?

“Who is the heart of our city? Our city employees. And when we have our pipes crew out there in sub-zero freezing weather in wet shoes, wet jeans, making $12 an hour – we have to do something. So yes, we make sure that they got a livable wage and we addressed it.

“So, when we saw issues coming up that our other officers and staff would tell us in their exit interviews, I had to do something. So, gathering that information, this is the result of that. I appreciate Marcus for listening and not yelling back at me when I raise my voice.

“The bottom line is that I felt a very true sense of urgency, we couldn’t just let it go on and let things happen that are not becoming to Grants.

“Along with that, in June, I offered the employees and asked Don, ‘can we take down that building?’ I’m over there picking up panels for like hours, I was so sore the next day… and we took it down. We saved the city $20,000. I’ve never seen another city manager out picking up ceiling tiles for hours. I was doing that. Don was doing that. Our city employees were doing that. This way I had the opportunity to work side-by-side with them.

“I’m not better than them. And I tell them that. I’m glad that I get to know you, and I’m glad that I get to work with you. Its my pleasure to be here, its actually a pleasure to be here.

“When I ran for office, I offered my time and my service to my community. If its as city manager, awesome. If you want to fire me, I’ll be somewhere else, offering my expertise and my commitment. …

“I’m thinking about this last agreement, this is one of the first agreements that the city and the county – Don was there as a witness – and we signed this as an agreeance. [County Manager] Kate Fletcher and I agreed to work together because we both realize that the better the county does, the better the city will do; the better the city does, the better the county will do. And now that [Village of Milan Manager] Linda Cooke is here, we’re all working together very well. You need to understand that I’m the kind of person who is on Kate Fletchers roof when we she says, ‘I’m hot, I don’t know how to start my evaporative cooler.’ So when I’m on her roof starting her evaporative cooler for her, this is what happens as a biproduct. Beign willing to be avaible to put time and effort to help someone else – that’s not part of my job description, nor should it ever be, but because I’m the kind of person that will do that, that’s what it takes.

“So, when I started taking charge and addressing people when they’re not doing their job, I can see how they would, well you know, that’s new. Who wants to be told what to do when they’re not being accountable? No one.

“So who are they going to call?” Manager Chavez asked, answering her own question with an outstretched hand to Pro tem Lucero she said, “No offense I think they’re calling you.”

“No, they’re not calling me,” Lucero responded,

“Well it sounds like it, but the bottom line is: If we have people resigning on their own, that’s their choice, if we have people retiring on their own, that’s their choice. So now, we have the opportunity to shape and mold people who are going to do the job that we need for our community.”

Manager Chavez closed with, “The one thing I really want to emphasize is that I am so appreciative to [new City Clerk] Fran Salas and Corrina, because coming in here I need support, and these two ladies work together. They’re creative and proactive. Fran brought me something that the city could be more consistent with… We have to address things, and make sure that we’re not being mean, just trying to go by the actual policy.”

City Manager Chavez made sure that everyone on the city council knows that if they have an item they want on the agenda for the next meeting, to try and get it to the clerk before the meeting agenda goes out.