By Lauren Lifke
Moriarty event coordinator Debbie Adcock resigned from her position at the Moriarty City Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 12, because she was given the requirement to work with alcohol licenses, which was not in her job description, she said.
During public comment, Adcock told the council that, although she has enjoyed the opportunity to serve as the event coordinator helping clients with birthdays, weddings and anniversaries, she wanted nothing to do with serving alcohol or the liability risk that comes with it.
“I shared with Mayor Webb that I couldn’t, and would never have, applied for a job if I knew that this was a requirement,” Adcock said.
Adcock declined to comment to The Independent because of the City of Moriarty’s press policy, she said.
In August, then-City Councilor Steve Anaya told The Independent that the policy states that “the mayor or designated representative will make all official reports and announcements to the newspaper and other news media” and that “no employee is authorized to make such reports and announcements.”
Adcock said during public comment that she was given the ultimatum that she needed to work with alcohol and an alcohol serving license. This was not in the job description that she downloaded in the City of Moriarty website, she said. It also wasn’t mentioned in the job interview, she said, even though the interview panel consisted of six people — one of whom had served as a Civic Center manager in the past.
She said in the beginning of her employment, there seemed to be an effort to explore ways to find a compromise for her, but ultimately, she and the city didn’t fully agree. She still tried to be a team player, she said, and she still helped clients arrange alcohol inventory, ordered bartenders and received alcohol from distributors.
“I even obtained the alcohol server license, which made me sure that not only did I want nothing to do with the alcohol, but the liability and the risk to me,” Adcock said.
Adcock put in her two-week resignation, citing her last day as Wednesday, Nov. 26. She told councilors to let her know if they have any concerns during her transition period.
