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Alamogordo commission swears in officials, selects mayor pro tem and declares District 5 vacancy
Summary
At its Jan. 13 organizational meeting, the Alamogordo City Commission administered oaths to newly seated commissioners, named Commissioner Josh Reardon mayor pro tem, adopted Resolution 2026-02 declaring a District 5 vacancy and set an appointment schedule, and approved appointments and the consent agenda.
The Alamogordo City Commission on Jan. 13 administered oaths of office to newly seated commissioners and conducted organizational business, including selecting a mayor pro tem and adopting a resolution that starts the process to fill a vacancy in District 5.
Mayor Sharon McDonald presided as the commission swore in Baxter Patillo as commissioner for District 1 (term to expire Dec. 31, 2027), Steven Burnett as commissioner for District 2 (term to expire Dec. 31, 2029) and Joshua W. Reardon as commissioner for District 4 (term to expire Dec. 31, 2029). The oath was delivered using standard language for the City of Alamogordo and the State of New Mexico.
The commission opened nominations for mayor pro tem and nominated Commissioner Josh Reardon. The motion to appoint Reardon as mayor pro tem passed; staff later corrected the roll to note Commissioner Mark Tapley voted "aye," and that correction will be recorded in the minutes.
The commission considered Resolution 2026-02, which declares a vacancy in the District 5 city commission seat created when Sharon McDonald took office as mayor on Jan. 1, 2026. Staff summarized the timeline required by the city charter: candidate packets will be available Jan. 14, 2026; letters of interest, declarations of candidacy, disclosure statements and affidavits of voter registration are due by Feb. 13, 2026; qualified candidates will present to the commission on Feb. 24, 2026 in the order their paperwork was received; and if the commission does not make an appointment at that meeting the mayor will appoint on March 10, 2026. The commission voted to adopt Resolution 2026-02 (vote recorded in the transcript as passing 6 to 0).
During appointments to boards and committees, the commission reappointed Lance Grant Grace to the Airport Advisory Board (his term was noted as expiring Jan. 23, 2026; reappointment would be his tenth term) and appointed Roxanne Workman to the Senior Volunteer Program Advisory Council for a first term; no objections were stated. The consent agenda was moved, seconded and approved (vote recorded as 6 to 0).
Finally, the commission moved into an executive session to discuss limited personnel matters related to the city manager in compliance with NMSA 10-15-1(H)(2); that motion also passed on a recorded vote of 6 to 0. Staff noted procedures to include Commissioner Tapley, who participated by phone.
The commission’s next procedural steps include making candidate packets available on Jan. 14 and hearing candidate presentations for the District 5 vacancy on Feb. 24; if no appointment is made then the mayor will appoint on March 10, 2026.
