Alamogordo commission accepts settlement with Acting City Manager Stephanie Hernandez after closed session

The Alamogordo City Commission voted 4-3 on April 28 to accept a settlement proposal involving Acting City Manager Stephanie Hernandez and delegated authority to city staff to finalize the agreement.

The commission recessed into a closed executive session under NMSA 1978 §10-15-1(h)(2) and (h)(7) to discuss limited personnel matters and attorney-client privileged matters related to threatened or pending litigation. After reconvening at 8:13 p.m., the mayor stated that the only matters discussed in closed session were “the pending litigation to accept the settlement proposed by Stephanie Hernandez, the acting city manager,” and the commission moved to accept that proposal and to give Lynn Isaacson authority to finalize the settlement.

The action followed public comments earlier in the meeting in which residents urged the commission to “honor your vote” and finalize a contract for Dr. Hernandez. Kim Great White Owl Murillo told the commission the March vote to negotiate with Dr. Hernandez appeared to have been stalled and alleged that some commissioners had tried to "bury the vote" and used taxpayer dollars to "make her go away." Murillo said, "Execute the contract with doctor Hernandez immediately." Rudy Contreras also urged the commission to finalize a permanent contract for Hernandez, saying she is "the most qualified candidate." These comments were part of several public pleas during the public comment period for the commission to complete the previously announced negotiation.

The commission did not provide details of the settlement in the public session. The mayor stated the motion to accept the settlement and delegate finalization authority to Lynn Isaacson passed 4-3. The transcript records the outcome but does not record line-by-line vote tallies attributed to named members in open session.

The meeting record shows the commission used the executive-session exemptions in state statute to discuss personnel and privileged legal matters before taking this public action. No further details about the settlement amount, specific terms, or implementation timeline were disclosed in the open session.

The commission adjourned following the vote; staff and the acting city manager were expected to proceed with finalizing the agreement under the delegated authority.