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Resident and pastors accuse commissioners of improper hiring and retaliation during public comment
Summary
Public commenters at the Alamogordo City Commission meeting alleged a breach in the city manager hiring process and retaliation against citizens who criticized commissioners; speakers asked for transparency, an apology and for commissioners to step aside if personal interests supersede public trust.
Public commenters pressed the Alamogordo City Commission on July 14, alleging a breach in the hiring process for the city manager and claiming retaliation against residents who raised concerns.
Kim Murillo, who said she recently returned to Alamogordo, told the commission she saw evidence that a draft contract originally intended for Dr. Hernandez was redlined and "repurposed for Robert Stockwell" before his June 15 interview. "We learned that a contract many of us thought would go to Dr. Hernandez never offered to her," Murillo said, and she asked Stockwell "to commit to a full openness about your role" and to explain "why you bypassed the process." Murillo also alleged a constituent who criticized the hiring process was assessed an "uncollectible" debt as retaliation; she urged the commission to forgive the charge and offer a formal apology.
Other speakers echoed concerns about transparency. Jerry Martinez said the commission has shown "non-transparency" and alleged retaliation against a former mayor, calling the conduct "not right" and urging commissioners to focus on running the city and supporting programs such as 1st Nations 2nd Chance to help unhoused residents and veterans. "Please, please, let us all get along, work together, and move the city along," Martinez said.
Former mayor Susan Payne, speaking as a member of the public, described being placed on a write-off list after the last meeting and said she paid a $537 charge in good faith. Payne directly challenged Mayor Pro Tem Josh Reardon over an earlier $1,600 water-line charge she said he owed in 2021, calling on him to "pull out your checkbook like I did and pay your bill." Payne framed the episode as hypocritical and said she felt embarrassed when the matter was raised publicly.
The record of the July 14 meeting shows these allegations were raised during the public-comment portion of the agenda; the commission did not take formal action in response during the meeting. City Manager Stockwell, who is in the early weeks of his tenure, provided a separate manager's report at the same meeting but did not address Murillo's requested remedies during his remarks.
The claims about the hiring process and alleged retaliation were made publicly by residents and community members during the July 14 meeting. The commission did not announce an investigation or a formal response at that meeting; the allegations therefore remain disputed and unresolved in the record of this session.
The commission moved on to other agenda items and adjourned after routine business. If complainants or commissioners choose to pursue further action, that would appear on a future agenda.
