疯客直播 Fe City Manager John Blair, in the position for just under three years, will depart next month for a new role in Washington, D.C., the city announced Tuesday.
鈥淭he opportunity to make my hometown a better place to work and live has been a career highlight and I鈥檓 incredibly proud of the work that Team 疯客直播 Fe has accomplished over the last three years,鈥 Blair said in a statement.
His last day with the city will be Nov. 1.
A news release announcing his departure did not say what his new position will be, and Blair did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. City spokeswoman Regina Ruiz said Blair is waiting for his new employer to make that announcement.
Blair has worked for the city during a busy, and sometimes tumultuous, time.
Under his tenure the city caught up on overdue financial audits, completed the first phase of an expansion to the 疯客直播 Fe Regional Airport and opened a $10 million teen center. It also dealt with ongoing tensions regarding the Soldiers鈥 Monument on the Plaza, the planned annexation of a neighborhood in 疯客直播 Fe County and frustrations from some residents regarding city services, including repeated closures of some facilities and a series of breakdowns at the wastewater treatment plant.
He played a behind-the-scenes but critical role in many city departments whose leaders report to him.
Mayor Alan Webber thanked Blair for his service to the city.
鈥淛ohn gave his all to the City of 疯客直播 Fe as our City Manager, and I鈥檓 enormously grateful to him,鈥 Webber said in a statement. 鈥淲hile I鈥檓 sorry to lose him, I鈥檓 not at all surprised that he was recruited away from us, given his talent, experience, professionalism, and strength of character.鈥
Webber said in an interview Blair 鈥渁lways emphasized the need for everyone to be on the same team.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 easy for departments to get siloed and operate independently, and government works best when people work together and have a sense of common purpose,鈥 he said, crediting Blair for helping to foster that kind of environment.
Webber also credited Blair with playing a key role in helping the city catch up on overdue audits, something that had dogged the city for years.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a huge achievement,鈥 the mayor said.
鈥楥hallenging role鈥
Blair was appointed by Webber as 疯客直播 Fe鈥檚 27th city manager in January 2022, succeeding Jarel LaPan Hill. With a salary of over $176,000, he has the city鈥檚 highest base pay.
He was confirmed without a contract by an 8-1 vote of the City Council, with Lee Garcia casting the sole no vote. Garcia said at the time he would have liked to see a more robust search process and felt the decision to hire Blair was rushed.
A native of Albuquerque, Blair grew up in 疯客直播 Fe and graduated from 疯客直播 Fe High School. Prior to working for the city, he served as deputy superintendent of the state Regulation and Licensing Department and had a long career in politics, including working for U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich and New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Tolouse Oliver. He ran unsuccessfully to represent New Mexico鈥檚 3rd Congressional District in 2020.
An openly gay man, he often has used his updates to the City Council to discuss both ongoing city initiatives and to speak more personally about the importance of LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Kevin Bowen, director of the 疯客直播 Fe Human Rights Alliance, said the organization is grateful for Blair鈥檚 strong advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community.
鈥淲e are very thankful for his overwhelming support for the Pride celebration and involving the city so much in that celebration,鈥 Bowen said.
Blair clashed with several city councilors last year regarding a letter from the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration about late audits and their impact on state capital outlay allocated to the city, which he did not make known to councilors until the night before it became the subject of a New Mexican report.
Blair defended his decision at a City Council meeting, where he said he had kept the letter private to keep it from showing up in the newspaper. A resolution to suspend him for three days without pay failed in a 6-3 vote in November, with Councilors Lee Garcia, Michael Garcia and Chris Rivera voting in favor of the suspension.
Councilor Signe Lindell said Tuesday that Blair was a target of unfair criticism.
Being city manager is 鈥渁n incredibly challenging role ... compounded by armchair critics and keyboard warriors all the time that fabricate stories and amplify negative rumors,鈥 she said.
鈥淭he work is itself is exhausting and demanding, and when you face that kind of scrutiny, it makes it nearly impossible,鈥 she added.
Lindell said she will greatly miss Blair鈥檚 鈥渓eadership, friendship and certainly that incredible, infectious laugh.鈥
Councilor Jamie Cassutt also said she will miss Blair, whom she described as an 鈥渆xtremely caring and hardworking individual.鈥
鈥淚 am sure that whatever he鈥檚 doing, he鈥檚 really going to be an asset,鈥 she said.
Michael Garcia and Lee Garcia said they were frustrated to learn about Blair鈥檚 departure in an afternoon news report, rather than a notice from city officials.
In statements provided by Ruiz, several city leaders expressed their gratitude for Blair鈥檚 commitment to the community, including Christus St. Vincent CEO Lillian Montoya.
鈥淗is engaged leadership style was appreciated,鈥 Montoya said in a statement.
鈥楬it the ground running鈥
Blair鈥檚 resignation is the latest in a series of high-level departures from city government this year, including former Planning and Land Use Director Jason Kluck, Affordable Housing Director Alexandra Ladd, Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Director Karen Iverson and senior adviser Bernie Toon. In an interview this summer, Blair described turnover as 鈥渁 fact of life鈥 in government work.
His departure will come a year before the next mayoral election, leaving open the possibility his replacement will have a short tenure. Webber has yet to comment on whether he plans to run for a third term.
Webber said the city will soon post the city manager job on its hiring portal, and a special City Council meeting is scheduled at 3 p.m. Friday for councilors to give their input on the hiring process and make candidate recommendations.
Ruiz said an interim city manager has not yet been selected.
Councilors expressed a variety of priorities in the search for a new city manager. Cassutt said she hopes the city finds someone 鈥渁s soon as possible.鈥
鈥淲e do need somebody who can hit the ground running, because there are a lot of projects we need to make sure we don鈥檛 drop the ball on,鈥 she said.
She would like the new city manager to have experience in local government, something Blair did not bring to the role, along with 鈥渁 deep understanding of 疯客直播 Fe.鈥
Lee Garcia said the person in the position should have experience running a city similar to 疯客直播 Fe. If there鈥檚 not a robust vetting process, 鈥淚 may be a 鈥榥o鈥 vote again,鈥 he said.
鈥淚f the city manager is not the most important person in the functionality of the city, then I don鈥檛 know who else is,鈥 he added.
Councilor Pilar Faulkner said she hopes the council has more say in the selection process than merely voting to confirm an appointee.
Michael Garcia said he would like to see a national search for candidates.
鈥淚t鈥檚 imperative we have the most qualified candidate to take the reins after Mr. Blair鈥檚 departure,鈥 he said.