Letter to the Editor

Something is fishy in Valencia County

Editor:

Many county residents wholeheartedly agree with Mrs. Padilla-Gutierrez that the current deputy county manager (a former county commissioner) was not the most qualified person for the position when the commission hired him this past May.

In fact, he wasn’t qualified at all. The job description listed 3-5 years of administrative-level experience in county government as “strongly preferred” and he admitted in a March 28 article that he had none. He had no experience in managing the day-to-day operations of county government, yet, he was hired anyway over qualified applicants.

It seems quite apparent that someone was trying to position this former county commissioner to take the current county manager’s spot when he retires (the county manager position is currently posted on the county website). This is completely unfair to the residents of Valencia County who deserve the best possible person for the position.

The job description for the county manager position requires a “minimum of 3 years’ experience as a county manager, assistant county manager, city manager ...,” which the current deputy county manager does not have.

The commission needs to be fair in its hiring processes and hire the most qualified candidate and certainly someone who meets the minimum qualifications!

Jay Ruybalid

Los Lunas