Interim county manager talks priorities as permanent search proceeds

Four hours into the job, Stephen Lopez has nothing but three flip charts in the corner of the office that just became his. 

The charts are blank. Lopez said they'll be filled out later in the day as he garners input from the people who now work for him. 

Lopez takes over the job following the departure of Fernando Macias. Macias, county manager for six years, left the county following a contract disagreement with the Board of County Commissioners regarding his yearly evaluation. 

Now, the board has launched a national search for its next manager. A board member told the Bulletin in April that they expected to start interviews with finalists over the summer. But in the interim, Lopez, the county’s emergency manager, has taken the job. 

“I think the biggest challenge is making sure people know their jobs are not threatened,” Lopez said. 

Lopez sat down with the Bulletin for an interview about the new job on his first day, a few hours after officially starting. 

"We're not going to be doing anything drastic. This is really an opportunity for (department heads) to share and have some input into this office so that whoever comes on understands where they're trying to go, what they need to get there, and really is able to wrap their arms around this big thing we call Doña Ana County," Lopez said.

Lopez began his career as a police officer with New Mexico State University in 1987. His last eight years, he led the department as its chief. 

A news release announcing Lopez’ ascension said Lopez holds bachelor's degrees from NMSU in criminal justice and psychology and a master's degree from the University of Washington in strategic planning for critical infrastructures. 

Lopez has been a department head in Doña Ana County since 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he became emergency manager for the joint county/city Office of Emergency Management. A news release lauded his leadership and said he was instrumental in coordinating emergency response efforts. 

“The background isn’t as important as the actions we take over the next few months to prepare for the permanent county manager,” Lopez said. “And that's really my number one priority, which is to keep the good things going and get things documented and ready so that as a new county manager is selected, he or she can be given the information to come in and succeed.”

The background matters some, Lopez later acknowledged. Having been in the county for a few years, he said he’s developed a good working relationship with the other department heads. 

“We've done various projects together and brought in grants together. And that's allowing me to transition for Mr. Macias, who had been here for so long,” Lopez said. 

When pressed on what changes he’d make during the short stint at the top of the county food chain, Lopez said he wanted to improve communication within the building. That means working to clear up all levels, from the manager’s office to the department heads and down. 

“We are a big team. I'm not sure if it's a family or not, but definitely a big team,” Lopez said. “We all need to be supporting each other and working in similar directions.”

The Board of County Commissioners hired Slavin Management Consultants to search for candidates. According to Slavin’s job posting, the first review of applications is scheduled for May 17, 2024.