Roosevelt County commissioners hold closed-door interviews for county manager

Roosevelt County commissioners met in a special session Sept. 25 in Portales and held closed-door interviews with candidates for the county manager position, then adjourned at 4:35 p.m. No appointment or public vote on a hire was recorded during the open portions of the meeting.

The meeting was called to order by Commissioner Tina Dixon at 1:30 p.m. Commissioner Roy Lee Criswell gave the invocation and Dixon led the pledge of allegiance. At 1:32 p.m. Commissioner Paul Grider moved that the commission go into executive session to consider only the items listed on the agenda; Commissioner Roy Lee Criswell seconded, and the motion passed unanimously (Grider, Criswell, Dixon, Malin Parker and Fabian Munoz voting yes).

Commissioners interviewed candidates for the county manager position one at a time in the closed session. Human Resources Coordinator Mary Orozco attended and remained with the group until 4:00 p.m., when she left to allow commissioners to discuss the applicants privately. At 4:33 p.m. Orozco was called back into the room and Commissioner Fabian Munoz moved to end the executive session, seconded by Commissioner Paul Grider. Commissioner Tina Dixon stated, "only those items on the agenda were discussed in executive session." The motion to return to open session passed unanimously.

The meeting record indicates the session was adjourned at 4:35 p.m. Meeting minutes were submitted by Human Resources Coordinator Mary Orozco; the transcript does not record any public appointment or formal vote selecting a county manager during the open record. Any next steps or hiring decisions were not specified in the minutes provided.