By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper.
Sandoval County commissioners voted 4-1 on June 10 to demand County Assessor Linda Gallegos resign over her dual-salary arrangement — but not before Gallegos herself took the podium to endorse the resolution, submitted documents defending her conduct and walked out of chambers to work in her office downstairs.
The resolution, sponsored by District 2 Commissioner Jon Herr, cites NMSA 1978 § 10-6-3, which deems an elected official to have resigned if they fail to devote ordinary working hours to their duties for 30 or more consecutive days. Gallegos has collected her $86,626 county salary since accepting a $155,000-per-year State Cash Manager position with the New Mexico Treasurer’s Office on May 4. The resolution does not remove her from office — it formally requests her resignation. Because Gallegos holds an elected position, the commission has no authority to fire her.
Gallegos endorses resolution, challenges commission on consistency
Gallegos chose to speak only during public comment, where said she supported the resolution — but made pointed arguments about selective enforcement. She told commissioners she had notified each of them before accepting the state job and said they were all supportive at the time. She also challenged commissioners to pull badge-access records for all elected county officials and the county manager going back four years and present the results, implying others may have comparable attendance records.
“As you’re aware, I surely had the foresight to call and discuss my work as cash manager with each of you prior to accepting the role, and interestingly enough, at that time you were all supportive,” Gallegos told commissioners. “Now, if you’ll excuse me — I will not be present for the rest of this meeting, because I’m going to get some work done in the Assessor’s Office, which I have done many times.”
Gallegos submitted a packet to commissioners that included a March 30 legal opinion from the county attorney concluding her dual role presented no statutory conflict of interest — the assessor’s office has no regulatory authority over the State Treasurer — though the opinion noted the two positions could become physically incompatible depending on time demands. The packet also included a May 19 press release in which Gallegos said she remained as assessor to oversee the property protest period, manage the transition while three assessor’s office employees running in the primary were required to take leave and ensure continuity of service.
In written responses submitted to the commission, Gallegos outlined three reasons she has not resigned: the ongoing property protest period, the primary election transition, and ensuring a smooth handoff. She said all three assessor candidates were county employees required to take 15 days of leave before the June 2 primary, leaving her office short-staffed during one of its most demanding annual functions. She also said an immediate resignation would have handed a Republican-majority commission the ability to appoint her successor before voters weighed in. With the primary now over, Gallegos said the value protest review is still underway and she is required to present an annual report to the commission reviewing prior-year property values and exemptions. “It’s imperative that I continue to complete the report and present it as required,” she wrote.
In an email to The Paper., Gallegos said she does plan to step down before her term ends.
“I expect that I will resign before my term ends, which was always the plan,” she said. “That date will be contingent on when the office will be in the best place for this to happen.”
Jones sought to table; Gallegos declined to return
Commissioner Josh Jones said he had questions for Gallegos and moved to table the resolution to the next meeting. Commission Chair Jordan Juarez noted Gallegos had been in chambers minutes earlier and sent County Manager Wayne Johnson downstairs to ask if she would return. She “respectfully declined,” according to Johnson.
Commissioners reviewed her submitted documents during a brief recess, after which Jones withdrew his motion to table. The commission then moved to a vote.
Commissioners divided on conduct, not legality
Commissioner Katherine Bruch cast the lone no vote. She said Gallegos’s seven-year record as assessor deserved consideration, noted the county attorney’s opinion found no legal conflict, and said the commission should be careful about applying office-presence standards selectively. She asked that all of Gallegos’s submitted documents be entered into the record.
Commission Chair Juarez, who voted yes, said the core failure was communication. “She calls, saying she resigned, starts a job less than one week later, and then we never hear anything back from her again,” he said. Badge records showed Gallegos visited the assessor’s office six times in the relevant period, Juarez noted — with several of those visits on weekend evenings when staff and constituents were not present.
“Sunday nights when there’s no staff and most constituents aren’t going to call isn’t probably the best time for the public to get ahold of their elected official,” Juarez said. He added that having an elected official in the building alone after hours with sensitive taxpayer documents created unnecessary liability for the county.
What’s next?
Whether Gallegos will formally resign remains unclear. The resolution carries no legal force compelling her to do so.
Because Gallegos is an elected official, she can’t be fired by the county manager or the commission; a recall by voters would be in order.
If she does step down, the commission would appoint a replacement to serve through December 31, 2026.
Voters will choose her permanent successor in November. Gerred Prairie is the Democratic candidate and Lawrence D. Griego is the Republican nominee. Griego defeated Deputy Assessor and Gallegos’ cousin Richard Shanks in the June 2 Republican primary.
During public comment, Tomas Taylor — husband of Sandoval County Treasurer Jennifer Taylor — called on commissioners to also demand Shanks also resign, alleging nepotism and misuse of county resources. Commissioners did not address those allegations.