The Moriarty City Council will consider appointing a new mayor Wednesday night to fill the vacancy left by Brandon Webb’s resignation amid the city’s ongoing financial crisis and political turmoil.
Webb resigned during a Sept. 22 special council meeting, telling The Independent News he was “tired of getting stabbed in the back” and frustrated with constant resistance to his reform efforts.
“Since I came into office, since I was elected, it’s been a fight every step of the way,” Webb said in explaining his decision to step down. “Everything I’ve tried to do has been a fight from the get-go.”
City Councilor Bobby Ortiz has been serving as acting mayor since Webb’s departure. The council will vote on a permanent appointment during Wednesday’s 7:30 p.m. meeting at City Council Chambers, 202 Broadway Street South.
According to City Clerk/Treasurer Emily Sanchez, the appointment process will begin with a council member nominating a candidate, who must accept the nomination if present. The council will then vote on the appointment, requiring only a majority of those present to approve. If a current council member is appointed mayor, that person may vote on their own appointment and the council would then need to fill the resulting council vacancy within 15 days.
Webb, who described himself as “not a politician by any means” but rather “a blue collar worker,” said he returned to his hometown after 20 years away and found it “in worse shape than when I left.”
The resignation followed months of conflicts with the city council, including disputes over personnel decisions. Webb said council members “fired the city clerk that I appointed, and then I went out and hired another city clerk, and they finally ran her off.”
Despite his frustrations, Webb encouraged his supporters to remain involved in city government, saying “people in numbers have a voice, and one position anywhere can change everything.”
The meeting also includes a public hearing on selling approximately 4.43 acres of city-owned property in the Moriarty Industrial Park and several spending approvals, including $14,249 for fire department equipment and funding for the Moriarty Veterans Monument.
Webb’s departure came after Clerk/Treasurer Deborah Liu resigned in August following her efforts to uncover extensive financial irregularities.
