Herrera in the hot seat
Wall to council: Fire the city manager

Gallup City Manager Gerry Herrera listens as Councilor E. Bryan Wall asks to have Herrera's termination considered at the next council meeting during Tuesday's meeting at City Hall. — © 2009 Gallup Independent / Cable Hoover

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Bill Donovan
Independent correspondent

GALLUP — E. Bryan Wall wants Gerald Herrera fired as city manager.

Wall, now in his second month as city councilor, made his feelings known at the end of Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

He originally wanted the rest of the council to take a vote Tuesday on the issue, but Mayor Harry Mendoza said it would have to be put on the agenda for the next session on June 9. State law does not allow the council to pass a resolution on anything that is not on that week’s agenda.

Wall has been vocal in the past about his displeasure with Herrera and in Tuesday’s meeting said he wanted someone appointed who had more experience in being a city manager.

City Attorney R. David Pederson said that since the firing of Herrera is a personnel item, it would have to be discussed in executive session, but a vote on the matter would then take place in open session.

As for Herrera, he didn’t show any emotion as Wall talked about his firing. Afterward, his only comment referred to the city charter which requires three votes to remove him.

Mendoza said after the meeting that he still had full confidence in Herrera and didn’t think the firing effort would get very far. So right now the score is one for firing and one for keeping.

None of the other three members of the council said anything either way. Jay Azua said after the meeting that Wall’s motion came as a surprise.

Herrera is finishing his second year as city manager, after being named by Mendoza when Eric Honeyfield was forced to resign by Mendoza. Honeyfield is still pursuing a lawsuit against the city to get the severance pay outlined in his contract pay off.

But Herrera’s firing isn’t the only matter that Wall wants on the agenda for the next meeting.

He said he also wants the council to reconsider its decisions at the last session not to fund a film liaison position and the golf pro’s position after June 30 — allowing Alex Alvarez to stay on a city employee and at his present salary.

The council decided to eliminate both of these from next year’s budget at its last session as part of a savings of $600,000 that would provide a cushion for next year in case some unexpected expenses occurred.

Mendoza questioned Wall during the council session as to what positions he would eliminate to make up for these costs.

Wall said the funds could come from people who planned to retire next year — their positions would not be filled but Mendoza said there was no guarantee that they would retire.

In the end, Wall said that he would explain how he planned to make up the two costs at the next meeting.

In another matter, the council did take up something that Wall had brought up a couple of meetings back — changing the time of the council meetings.

Currently, the council meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month, with a workshop beginning at 6 p.m. and the regular meeting beginning at 7 p.m.

Wall had suggested — and it was on Tuesday’s agenda as an action item — that the workshop begin at 6:30 p.m. and the regular session at 7:30 p.m. because this would give people a chance to get off work and have some time before the meeting began.

Council members agreed that it may get more people to attend the meeting, so it was worth a try. If it didn’t increase attendance or the meetings ran too late, Pederson said the council could always change the hours back to the original times.

The new meeting schedule will start with the first meeting in June.