Interim clerk resigns from BF amid ‘negative behavior’

BOSQUE FARMS — A local municipality has gone through another clerk/administrator, the third in the last two years.

Less than two weeks after being named interim clerk/administrator for the village of Bosque Farms, Shaline Lopez has tendered her letter of resignation. Her last day with the village will be Wednesday, Sept. 17.

Lopez’ resignation follows that of former clerk/administrator Michael Limon, who submitted his resignation in July, effective Aug. 18, after a little more than a year in the position.

Limon started with the village in April 2024, after the departure of Vernon Abeita in mid March last year, who was clerk/administrator for a rocky nine months.

In her Sept. 3 letter, Lopez wrote that during her time with the village she has “learned and grown both personally and professionally, and I have worked diligently to support and strengthen the clerk’s office and village as a whole.”

She continues, saying she valued the chance to build relationships with colleagues and community members, thanking them for their kindness and support.

“Unfortunately, I also witnessed a portion of the community engage in divisive and unnecessarily negative behavior,” Lopez wrote in her letter addressed to the governing body, staff and residents of Bosque Farms. “It is my hope that the village can reconcile these differences and move forward together toward a more constructive and harmonious future.”

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Lopez was hired as the village’s deputy clerk in 2024, during Limon’s tenure.

Bosque Farms Mayor Chris Gillespie said the village has been searching for a permanent clerk/administrator since Limon announced his resignation this summer, but had the back up of Lopez as the deputy clerk.

“Now we have two positions vacant, which is not ideal,” Gillespie said.

The mayor said village treasurer Yvonne Maes is willing to step in and assist with day-to-day operations, like she did when former mayor Wayne Ake stepped down in early 2024 just months after being sworn into office.

“She is quite capable and picks stuff up quickly and takes care of things, thank God,” he said, “but she has been very clear, she doesn’t want to be my clerk.”

“We have reached out to the (New Mexico) Municipal League and they are advising us on policy and procedures. We will definitely be posting these job openings on the municipal league site.”

The mayor said he has been refining the job descriptions for both positions so applicants “understand what the expectations are. Within a very short period of time they have to be a notary, for instance, if they aren’t already. They have to be or have the ability to become a certified clerk. We can’t just grab somebody off the streets.”

One issue making it difficult to craft advertisements for the positions, especially that of clerk/administrator, is that a good portion of them are embedded in the village ordinances.

“Some of the job duties are in our ordinances and they are not correct, which makes them difficult to correct and update,” Gillespie said. “They should be in our handbook and policy. There’s a reason they shouldn’t be in that space. Changing an ordinance can be a two-month process.”

Lopez was appointed as interim clerk/administrator for the village at the Aug. 21 council meeting on a 3-0 vote. Councilor Michael Cheromiah was not at the meeting.

A motion for the appointment was made by Councilor Tim Baughman and seconded by Councilor Ronita Wood.

“I appreciate the work your doing. I know the work load you’re under,” Baughman said. “There’s been a lot of heavy lifting since Michael (Limon) has not been in the office the last several months.”

Due to his wife’s health issues, Limon was allowed to work remotely from California for the last nearly five months of his employment with the village.