Bernalillo County, NM (KKOB) — The Board of County Commissioners passed a resolution Tuesday evening on a 3-1 vote outlining the official selection process for the hiring of the new County Manager. Current manager Julie Morgas Baca plans to retire at the end of June. Commission Chair Barbara Baca has proposed a process that includes a national search, the establishment of a local search committee as well as public engagement.
The search committee is made up of local leaders in government, business, education, and community health. Juan Vigil, who will serve as Search Committee Chair, is a former county manager for both Bernalillo County and Sandoval County. Tim Cummins, a former City Councilor and County Commissioner; Maggie Hart-Stebbins, a former County Commissioner and NM Natural Resources Trustee; Yolanda Montoya-Cordova, a former President of the Albuquerque Public School Board and Venice Caballos, the Program Operations Director for Community Health Worker Initiatives will round out the five-member proposed search committee.
The search committee will be tasked with vetting potential candidates based on the job description and skills and abilities as outlined by the commission. The committee will also hold two advertised public meetings to solicit feedback from the public that will include online and in-person participation. They will also develop a survey with assistance from the Human Resources and Information Technology departments.
Advertisement will be placed on the county’s website, the National Association of Counties, other New Mexico Counties and local and regional publications. The search committee is expected to review applications and interviews, concluding with a list of the top five candidates by May 31, 2024. All qualified candidates as well as the top five candidates resumes and names will be available on the bernco.gov website. The top five candidates will be interviewed by the Board of County Commissioners with a final candidate voted on during the June 25, 2024, commission meeting.
To allow for continued quality management, the Commission has the option to appoint an interim County Manager from June 28, 2024, until the new manager has been appointed and a contract has been negotiated and signed.
“Much of the input I received from fellow commissioners has been incorporated into this proposed search process and the associated desired skills and abilities for our next County Manager,” says Commission Chair Barbara Baca. “We are deeply grateful to Julie Morgas Baca for her outstanding service. It will be hard to fill her shoes but we are determined to find the right person to take the helm and continue the important work she has undertaken.”
