Administrative Challenges Mount for Cloudcroft Village Government

Police hiring controversy highlights concerns about transparency, budget priorities, and hiring practices

Public Works Supervisor JJ Carrizal asks the council to live up to their vote and word. (L-R): Finance Director Sylvia Hall, JJ Carrizal, and new Trustee Keith Hamilton.

[NEWS ANALYSIS]

The Cloudcroft Council meeting on Wednesday night showcased many of the ongoing problems of the Village administration.

• How the Village administration hires and manages employees;

• Failure to allocate resources in a researched, thoughtful, and balanced manner;

• Management of a police force that is puzzling in its lack of a plan, hiring practices, and a sustainable budget;

• Weak payment procedures force the Chamber of Commerce treasurer to make repeated appeals to the Council for prompt reimbursement of previously authorized funds;

• Low morale, especially among Water and Maintenance staff, who are disheartened by recent comments by the Mayor and Trustee McCoy expressing public regret for the July increase in the department’s budget.

So, what happened at Wednesday’s meeting, which was not broadcast live on Facebook as per last year's meetings, where these issues were on parade?

The Reader offers a brief analysis below, including video and audio clips so you can see and hear for yourself.

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Cloudcroft’s Hiring Crisis: A Recommended Police Candidate Exposes Deeper Failures

A recent attempt to hire an officer highlighted several issues, including poor hiring practices, inadequate fiscal planning, uneven trust among department heads, and questionable priorities.

In July 2025, the Council hired Daniel Sepulveda as a new Police Officer—he was let go within the same month.

At the Wednesday council meeting, Mayor King reported that Interim Chief Chris Swanson has left the department.

New Police Chief Rolando Hernandez (hired July 2025, and not yet a certified police officer in New Mexico) supported a motion to hire two officers to join the two officers already on payroll.

The two recommended candidates, to be paid high hourly rates, appeared on the agenda, catching several trustees by surprise. Those trustees say they did not know that Joshua Calder had been terminated in March from his previous job until just hours before the vote.

Source New Mexico reported: “The Law Enforcement Certification Board fired Joshua Calder on March 20, less than a year into his tenure as its first CEO. Calder did not challenge his termination.”

The secretary of the state Department of Public Safety (DPS) accused Calder of lying about DPS taking away his work cell phone and office space — allegations Calder made in a January 6 email leaked to Source NM — and suggested the board fire him for being dishonest.

Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe, president of the New Mexico Association of Chiefs of Police, said the group issued "a unanimous no-confidence vote" on Calder.

This was news to several of the trustees who were asked to approve his hiring.

The Cloudcroft police force has had a 200% turnover in two years.

During a lull in the Wednesday meeting, the Cloudcroft Reader approached Chief Hernandez and officer candidate Calder in the street outside the chambers to ask a few questions.

Here is how the interview started:

Cloudcroft Reader:

Chief, can I talk to you for a minute?

I'm Chris Hearne.

I'm the editor of the Cloudcroft Reader.

Chief Hernandez:

I don't do interviews, especially if they're recorded.

Cloudcroft Reader:

Well, you should.

Why won't you?

Chief Hernandez:

I'm sorry.

Cloudcroft Reader:

But tell me why you won't.

Chief Hernandez:

Yeah.

Cloudcroft Reader:

Why won't you?

Chief Hernandez:

Oh, I'm sorry.

Listen to the audio recording of the full interview with the Chief and Calder, linked below:

Hear for yourself.

After that exchange, the Reader went back inside and was allowed to question the Council about the hiring process — who was involved, what was recommended, and why the candidate was submitted for approval despite his recent termination.

The Reader captured the exchange on video. Here is the almost 5-minute back-and-forth for you to see and hear for yourself:

View clip.

As seen in the video, Trustee Tabitha Foster refers to a letter of recommendation — it is unclear for who and for what position that letter references.

The Reader has not seen the letter. To our knowledge, no other trustee has either.

We have asked for a copy.

This underpins a larger issue: Cloudcroft has no consistent, transparent hiring process.

Police Presence

The two officers on staff currently have limited enforcement abilities.

Chief Hernandez is not certified to make arrests or write citations until after a multi-week September training.

Local Officer Ali Manzo is continuing certification.

According to Trustee Tabitha Foster, not one citation has been issued in the village since last November.

It does not mean Cloudcroft has had no law enforcement. There has always been at least one officer on the payroll.

Additionally, the Otero County Sheriff has increased coverage of Cloudcroft, regularly patrolling the area. 911 responses—over 300 this year—have been all covered by the Sheriff’s Office, according to data from the July budget retreat.

And yet, the council continues to push for a four-officer department, without hard facts or a compelling rationale for why such staffing is necessary in a town of one square mile.

“That’s way too much money… starting pay of $37.76 an hour. With benefits, we’re talking $150,000 a year. That dictates every other decision—and that’s not the way.” – Trustee Jim Maynard

No strategic law enforcement plan detailing goals, challenges, tactics, or collaboration with the Sheriff department has been made public, if indeed one exists for the village.

At the budget meeting, Chief Hernandez, less than a month on the job, requested a six-officer department.

Trustee Maynard pushed back on the request:

“Last time when we went from three to four officers, we budgeted $150,000 for the new officers. You have to include their vehicle, their salary, all their equipment, everything else.”

“If we even considered six officers, that's $900,000, you're right back up to 45% of our total operating budget. There's not that kind of money available. Period.”

“When Mayor King nominated you and we confirmed you as chief, we did that without any discussion or question on compensation. We need disclosure. What is your income? We haven't voted on that, we haven't confirmed it as council, so your pay right now is subject to confirmation. That wasn't disclosed in past hires.”

“Then there is a rule in New Mexico, if we go to a five-man force, we can never go backwards. We have a town of 700 people. To request six patrolmen—that's one for every 110 people. There's no other town on earth that has that many law enforcement guys per population because the budgets won't support them.”

The police department has long consumed the lion’s share of the village’s operating budget. Having six officers could easily account for more than half the entire operating budget. Many question the need for four full-time officers.

No crime data has been presented to justify that level of staffing. In fact, municipalities similar in size to Cloudcroft, which also have the coverage support of a county sheriff, typically hire one or two full-time officers, including the police chief.

Law enforcement is the only department where the village has community share options.

The reality: The village has survived without a four-person local police force. Cloudcroft will not survive without water and sewage.

“The wastewater plant, what can I say? It's deteriorating, it's breaking down. We're just—we got scared the other day. We really need to focus on wastewater,” urged Public Works Supervisor JJ Carrizal at Wednesday’s meeting—a plea familiar to anyone observing past Council meetings.

Carrizal—responsible for installing necessary fire hydrants, replacing crumbling water valves, and upholding a failing wastewater plant—asked for basic recognition and pay fairness, only to be stalled by the mayor.

“Is Alamogordo or Ruidoso going to come up if all my guys leave? Are they going to come up, fix your street, sewer, and water? Fight for us. Be fair.” — JJ Carrizal

See Carrizal’s impassioned plea.

Maintenance staff remain demoralized.

Budgeted raises for the department, previously approved by the council, remain held from the agenda after Mayor Tim King and Trustee Gail McCoy publicly reconsidered.

The council discussed the pay bumps appearing on the August 15th payroll period. The date passed and, currently, the raises promised to Maintenance and Water employees have yet to appear in paychecks despite the promised start.

The hiring mess doesn’t exist in isolation. It connects directly to the village’s financial dysfunction.

“The council voted wrong,” Mayor Tim King told the Reader, on why promised raises disappeared from the agenda.

Maynard Makes Agenda Ask

“Your salary is not official until it’s sanctioned by the governing body,” Trustee Maynard told Chief Hernandez.

“We are paying a cadet a lot of money, to see how that works out. Right now, our police department is very expensive, and we have zero people on the street. That’s not a sustainable place to be,” Maynard continued.

“I’m disappointed that we didn’t have any of these items on this agenda, they were being ignored. I don’t believe that’s good government. We’re not disclosing to the people what we’re paying you,” Maynard said.

“Do you want me to tell you right now?” Hernandez asked.

“You can’t know until we say yes. That’s the point I’m making,” Maynard said.

“Mayor, wasn’t there an agreement or something?” asked Trustee McCoy.

“There was an offer letter. And I probably have to thank myself, because there’s a number of things that I forgot to put on the agenda just from working 60 hours a week,” King said.

“We’ve got a very qualified person who’s in limbo. So what’s the deal? And, whatever the deal is needs to be presented where the public knows what we’re spending,” Maynard said.

Bottom Line

Cloudcroft lacks a quality hiring process.

Without urgent reforms in hiring practices, budget transparency, and police staffing strategy, the town risks further dysfunction.

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Go Deeper: Transcripts

This year, the village has a $200,000 budget for tourism funded by the Lodger’s Tax, more than half of which has yet to be deployed.

No one’s in charge of strategic marketing spending: no visitor’s bureau, no committee, no unified village tourism plan—only pass/fail legal safeguards through the Lodger’s Tax Advisory Board.

Beyond a spending vision, the reimbursement for previously approved Lodger’s Tax funds shows a lack of clear processes.

Here’s a transcript of the exchange between the council and Chamber of Commerce Treasurer Tony Liello:

Liello: “This is what I'm going to do for you guys at every meeting (gives printed invoices and records to the council).”

“This is exactly what you guys voted on. We're not asking for anything more. The back page is the money that we've been asking for for the last few months. It’s money from the ‘24-’25 Lodger’s Tax that we have not received yet. We have turned the paperwork in twice.”

“We haven't seen a dime, and I haven't gotten any answers. If you have any questions on what we're turning in, now's the time to ask.”

Mayor King: “This here is $27,000 as opposed to $10,000 or $12,000.”

Liello: “We didn’t turn in a paper for $10,000. That was what you came up with. The last time we talked it was $12,000. You said you wanted to take out that $5,000, which is for (grant reimbursement) which leaves $7,000. We still haven’t seen that, either.”

Trustee Maynard: “I would suggest that if you’re not getting reimbursed, that you make it an agenda item where you get a vote to reimburse, or not reimburse.”

Liello: “This is ‘24-’25. These figures were already voted on. Why would you want to put it back on the agenda?”

Maynard: “Because you’re not getting action.”

Trustee Foster: “I would also like the Lodger’s Tax Committee to look over this because some of the questions, like what we approved this year, and what we found out were ineligible purchases for Lodger’s Tax. I don't want to call anything out, but I do think that there are some charges on here that are not eligible.”

Liello: “Everything on there is what you’ve been paying in the past.”

King: “It doesn’t mean that it was right.”

Maynard: “It's not that the $117,000 won't go to (the Chamber.) That's approved in the budget. That's what Tony's talking about. When we look at it, if we paid an invoice that was not consistent with the Lodger’s Tax statute, then shame on us. We shouldn't have done that. This is part of our housekeeping with Cloudcroft.”

Foster: “They are supposed to come with an already predefined amount. Just because they’ve been approved for that amount, they’re not allocated all of that amount. That’s why it’s supposed to be done on a reimbursement basis.”

Liello: “Do you actually know what’s left in our $117,000? Do you actually know what’s left and what we have spent?”

King: “Yeah, I think it’s around…like, 13…That said, we actually paid you guys $5,000 in addition to a grant. Our house is not in order yet. I know you guys have a lot of issues, too. We’re getting a lot closer than we were a year ago. And so I’m glad you gave us this, because we’re going forward.”

Liello: “Now that we’re in the new fiscal year, now that I’m turning in my receipts, what are we looking at as a time frame to get the checks back?”

King: “It won’t be in a week. Everybody up here might not be here next year, so they might not know what this needs. We have thousands and thousands and thousands of things coming into this office. I honestly don’t have time to go back and look and say, oh lemme see, oh this is such and such. We have to get things that come into us more organized, easier to deal with.”

Foster: “I’ve pulled up the spreadsheet. We also have to make sure the invoices we are paying are within those allotted amounts. The way that it’s been done in the past is you get $100,000, spend it how you want. That’s not the way the statute reads. The application states that a reimbursement will be within 90 days of the expense and the village will write a check in the next 30 days or 15 days later.”

Maynard: “With Tony’s stuff, we’re beyond 90 days. So by statute, we should have paid it already.”

In the past, receipts and requests for reimbursement of Lodger’s Tax Funds went through the Village Clerk.

“Until the Clerk is settled in, it might be good to put the burden on the Lodger’s Tax Committee,” suggested Parks and Rec Chair Matt Willett.

King: “We’ll have to see because it’s an advisory board.”

Maynard: “They could advise you.”

Liello: “We have two more events coming up. We couldn’t do advertising because you guys kind of drug your feet.”

King: “I take a little bit of offense at that, to be honest with you. These things have taken a long time.”

Liello: “I’m telling you what we could not do because of that issue.”

Maynard: “Any time there’s a change, there’s a lag.”

Village Revenues

At the budget retreat, Trustee Maynard advocated for across-the-board water rate increases and updated billing, noting that routine hikes to compensate for inflation have not happened in recent years.

Other options—progressively tiered fees for high-volume water use, modernized business licenses, bonds for projects, or property tax reform—remain unexplored.

Can the Village rely exclusively on cuts and reactive budgeting?

Noteworthy Recent Actions

Grantswriter Lauren Groesbeck and the council have already outlined funding priority agreements, like the Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan.

Fire Chief Erich Wuersching has partnered with the county for Non-Federal Lands grants and fire mitigation.

Through a grant and organization from JJ Carrizal, Mayor King, Trustee Foster, and their families spearheaded slash removal in May’s community clean-up efforts.

The Southeastern New Mexico Economic Development District’s (SNMEDD) Debi Lee helped guide the village budget meeting and remains available for council counsel.

Sixteen villagers joined Leadership Cloudcroft, connecting with each other, expert faculty, and current leaders through a six-month educational course facing Cloudcroft’s issues head-on.

The 2025 cohort includes: Sandra Barr, Jeff Barr, Keith Hamilton, Nick Hanna, Andrika Ruiz, Ricardo Ruiz, Dana Dunlap, John Snook, Sylvia Hall, Jorden Manford, Nathan Tompkins, Bri Jonnes, Jolyn McTiegue, Amy Coor, Jim Miller, and Christina Olvera.

We’ll report the Leadership Cloudcroft cohort’s concerns and priorities for the village after we gather for Day Three: Meet the Candidates next week.

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board has completed the remodel of the Byron Ligon Disc Golf Course in Zenith Park, barring a new sign.

Parks and Rec Chair Matt Willett is seeking funding with the help of an independent grant writer for a pedestrian bridge on the western side of town, which would allow for safe crossing of Highway 82.

The pickleball courts are being resurfaced. Soon, the village can capitalize on this huge tourist draw.

The council approved 10% of the Lodger’s Tax funds for a Parks and Rec line item.

The Lodgers Tax Advisory Board is developing a simpler online request for funding. LTAB’s Bri Jonnes wants to streamline the process and follow strong models, like this user-friendly application from Clovis.

The council unanimously approved Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) member Keith Hamilton to fill Nick Hanna’s vacant council seat. (This means that there is at least one vacancy for P&Z. If interested, email the mayor.)

Appointed Trustee Nick Hanna served for 8 months, only leaving for active military orders.

Hanna advocated for going forward with the promised raises for the maintenance department in his public remarks on Wednesday.

Hanna: “The last thing I wanted to say as I get time here, is that I strongly implore the council to look, when you have the numbers, and implement the raises that we budgeted.”

“I think that is key policy, to move forward as quickly as possible, including the employee handbook. So please, we’ve got to keep the people we have, we have to compensate them appropriately and show them they're valued, which I know they are. They need to know that, too.”

Helpers are out there. And hopefully, more appear on the ballot.

Who’s Running?

Election Filing Day: Tuesday, August 26th at the Otero County Clerk’s Office

Cloudcroft needs quality candidates. So far, the Reader has confirmed that Mayor Tim King will run again, challenged by Dusty Wiley, who placed second in the last mayoral race.

Gail McCoy and Keith Hamilton also plan to appear on the ballot. Judge Mark Tatum said he plans to run as an incumbent.

There are three trustee seats on the ballot, voted “at large,” meaning the top two vote-getters serve four-year terms, and the third serves for two.

Two school board seats are also on the docket.

Will most candidates run unopposed? If you care, now’s your moment.

This election will define Cloudcroft’s future. Leadership matters—and so does your voice.

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Community Pulse

We asked you to rate your leaders’ job performance and rank village priorities.

Results will be published on Monday.

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The Reader is proud to be sponsored in part by The PAC:

Cloudcroft Reader is proud to be sponsored in part by great companies like:

• Cloudcroft Sandwich Shop
  In the heart of downtown Cloudcroft, New Mexico

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• The Lodge at Cloudcroft
  Landmark Choice Among New Mexico Resorts

• Sacramento Camp & Conference Center
  Come to the Mountain — Let God Refresh Your Soul

• New Mexico Rails-to-Trails Association
  We Convert Abandoned Railroad Lines Into Recreational Trails

• Laughing Leaf Dispensary
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• Instant Karma
  Adventure Within: Transformative Yoga, Ayurvedic Wisdom, Nourishing Organics, Fair Trade Boutique

• Off the Beaten Path
  Eclectic gifts & original artwork

• Future Real Estate
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• Ski Cloudcroft
  Pizza and Summer Tubing start July Fourth!

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• The Elk Shed
  Purveyors of Southwest Mountain Goods & Finery

• The PAC
  Pickleball Addicts of Cloudcroft—Pickleball in the Clouds

• Peñasco Valley Telephone Cooperative
  For all the ways you love to connect

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