Nogales council names administrative assistant Julia Armendariz interim city clerk

The Nogales City Council voted to appoint Julia Armendariz, the mayor's administrative assistant, as interim city clerk, the council said during its meeting.

City officials said the move is temporary while the regular city clerk is on leave. Councilmember Montiel said before the discussion that he would abstain from participating in the matter and from voting. Mayor (name not specified) moved to appoint Armendariz, and the motion was approved by voice vote.

The council agenda described the item as "discussion, direction, and possible action regarding the appointment of mayor's administrative assistant, Julia Armendariz, as the interim city clerk." During the meeting the mayor said Armendariz already supports the office and would perform the necessary clerk duties on an interim basis. "...we had the incident where our clerk is on leave, and, so we need to have somebody inside the city to do certain duties," the mayor said.

Councilman Doyle said Armendariz has helped councilmembers in the past and voiced support for her serving in the role: "...she's always up to the plate, and I think she'll be able to do a great job." The council took a voice vote; several members responded "Aye" and the mayor declared the motion passed.

The appointment is interim; council members and staff said return to regular staffing and any longer-term appointment would be addressed separately. The agenda item did not specify a date for a permanent appointment or further administrative steps.

No ordinance, resolution number, or formal employment contract was cited on the record for this appointment during the meeting.