Fire chief named new assistant city manager

The City of Las Cruces has named Las Cruces Fire Chief Eric Enriquez as the new assistant city manager. 

A Las Cruces native, he attended Las Cruces Public Schools and New Mexico State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1991.

Enriquez was one of just 63 public executives from across the United States and several other countries to attend the 2016 Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Enriquez graduated from the Las Cruces Fire Academy in December 1997 and was promoted to fire inspector and investigator in 2002. In 2003, Enriquez completed the Las Cruces Police Academy and received certification as a New Mexico police officer. He served the City of Las Cruces until February 2009 when he accepted a position in Hobbs as fire marshal, at the rank of battalion chief.

Enriquez served as fire marshal/deputy fire chief, community services director and fire chief in Hobbs before returning to Las Cruces in May 2016 to be fire chief here.

"The City is fortunate to have Enriquez's experience locally to draw from, and from his work in other communities to help us better understand municipal government from other points of view in the State," said City Manager Ifo Pili. "We know he will be effective in further serving our community and we wish him great success in this position."

Enriquez began his new duties at the end of November. Las Cruces Fire Department Deputy Chief Jason Smith was named interim fire chief.