Las Cruces City Manager Terrence Moore (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
The Las Cruces City Council is scheduled to meet behind closed doors Monday to discuss personnel matters related to City Manager Terrence Moore. Councilor Gill Sorg said he believes issues being looked into by the sheriff’s department are among the topics that will be discussed.
“I’m sure it will be brought up. It’ll be talked about,” Sorg said.
As NMPolitics.net reported Monday, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department is taking over a Las Cruces Police Department investigation into two incidents involving Moore and his ex-wife – a case transfer that came after the district attorney raised concerns about LCPD investigating a case involving its own boss and urged the transfer.
Moore oversees the police chief and, by extension, the police department.
Last year, Las Cruces police looked into injuries Moore’s then-wife suffered in late 2008 and questions surrounding a police report the city manager filed over a prescription-drug incident in January 2009, treating the two incidents as a single case. Las Cruces police closed the case last year without filing charges.
Interim Police Chief Pete Bradley has said the case was dropped because no one, including Moore’s ex-wife, alleged a crime, and police didn’t have probable cause to proceed. Moore has pointed out that no one has alleged “that I’ve done anything wrong.”
Sorg said he believes it was appropriate for Las Cruces police to hand the case over to the sheriff for a new investigation.
“Yeah, I can see a conflict for sure,” he said.
Other issues likely to be discussed Monday
The notice about Monday’s meeting states that councilors will discuss “Limited Personnel Matters” related to Moore. It’s likely the issues the sheriff is investigating aren’t all that will be discussed. In January, the council met in closed session to discuss Moore’s contract after the city manager came under scrutiny for two issues that had been raised publicly:
• Moore had recently reimbursed the city for some costs associated with two business trips he took last year – after a complaint was filed over one trip and an attorney requested documentation about the other.
• Moore had his administrative assistant babysit his children on Dec. 21 – while she was on the clock and being paid with public money – so he could attend a city council meeting.
Following that January closed session, the council announced that it would “revisit certain terms” of Moore’s contract and “offer further clarification where needed,” according to a news release sent out after the meeting.
Mayor Pro-Tem Sharon Thomas said today that she can’t reveal much about the closed session that will be held Monday.
“Because it’s a personnel matter, there’s little that we can say beyond that we are holding a meeting next week and we will be discussing all issues related to the manager’s contract,” Thomas said.
Monday’s meeting will be held at 10 a.m. in the council conference room at city hall.