By Kent Paterson
Government in Doña Ana County is in turmoil. The shakeups continued this week as the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners terminated County Manager Scott Andrews’ duties after less than two years on the job.
Andrews’ five-year contract was terminated during a special meeting of commissioners held on Tuesday, July 21. By a vote of 5-0, Andrews’ contract termination was rendered effective immediately, for “no cause” and accompanied by a six-month buy-out of the official’s $229,000 annual salary, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
Andrews’ departure occurs in a context of recurrent and/or prolonged conflicts, clashes, and controversies variously involving county officials, Doña Ana County Sherrif Kim Stewart and her office, the City of Sunland Park, and citizens of varied stripes.
In May, the New Mexico Office of the State Auditor released a scathing report that delved into “documented and systemic failures in governance, operational effectiveness, internal controls and fiduciary responsibility…”
The auditor’s report, however, doesn’t provide a full picture of the state of governmental affairs in New Mexico’s second-most populated county since it only covers the period from July 1, 2001 to April 15, 2025, thus excluding a deeper exposure of the problems and controversies that have rattled Doña Ana County government during the last 15 months.
Starting work as the new county manager on October 7, 2024, Andrews came into the position fresh from Bakersfield, California, where he served as assistant city manager. Previous to his job in the San Joaquin Valley city known for country music’s distinctive Bakersfield Sound, he held municipal government executive jobs in Covington, Georgia; Smyrna, Georgia, Sugar Hill, Georgia; and Temple Terrace, Florida. Andrews is a native of Tampa, Florida, with a history in Atlanta as well.
If anything stands out in Andrews’ far-flung resume, it’s his involvement in economic development.
During Andrews’ time, Doña Ana County Commissioners unilaterally terminated a 16-year joint powers agreement with the City of Sunland Park that governed the co-oversight of the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA) which provides Sunland Park and Santa Teresa with water and wastewater services.
Held on May 13, 2025, the surprise vote to withdraw the county from CRRUA came after an executive session that suspended the public portion of county commission meeting then underway.
Although both Sunland Park and county officials soon expressed optimism that an amicable divorce could be finalized in speedy fashion, more than fourteen months later the county and Sunland Park municipal governments still haven’t divvied up all of their future service areas. Doña Ana County Assistant Manager Stephen Lopez, however, reported some progress on that front at the July 14 County Commission meeting.
In his short stint at the county’s helm, Andrews and other county officials shepherded the tax incentive package that greenlighted the contentious Project Jupiter/Stargate AI data center fast under construction in Santa Teresa, despite oodles of questions and massive public opposition.
Approved by a 4-1 vote at the September 19, 2025 County Commission meeting, the tax incentive deal was preceded by negotiations with data center developers that were conducted under non-disclosure agreements with Andrews. County Commissioner Susana Chaparro, who cast the lone nay vote last September had choice words that day as the nearly eight-hour hearing/meeting came to a climax.
“..I have an issue that an (NDA, non-disclosure agreement) was signed without my knowledge, my authority, and the county manager is my employee and I didn’t know about it,” Chaparro said. “These negotiations were being done without bringing it to my attention.”
The county government’s decision-making processes and administrative practices surrounding Project Jupiter/Stargate and the September 19 vote have since drawn litigation from the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, resident Derrick Pacheco and, most recently, the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.
At the July 14 County Commission meeting, protestors showed up dressed as clowns and hoisted banners that read “Stop Project Jupiter” and “Let Santa Teresa Breathe.” For her public comment, one musically-minded opponent even sang a sarcastic ditty while strumming a guitar.
Andrews is but the latest county official to say adios to what might be dubbed by future historians as the era of the Doña Ana Doozies. For instance, two of the four county commissioners who voted for the data center incentives have since witnessed changes to their political fortunes.
Shannon Reynolds resigned this year to run for county treasurer in the Democratic Primary only to lose in a three-way race. Reynolds was replaced in District Three by Susie Kimble, who was appointed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to complete the former commissioners’ term, which runs through December 31, 2026.
In District One, meanwhile, Christopher Schaljo-Hernandez, who presided over the Project Jupiter/Stargate tax incentive vote and was among the four commissioners voting yes, didn’t seek reelection this year.
Pitting Democratic nominee Daisy Maldonado against Republican Samantha Barncastle Salopek, November’s contest for Schaljo-Hernandez’s seat looms as an epic one in the annals of Doña Ana County political history.
The former executive director of the Empowerment Congress, a community organization which helped lead the early charge against Project Jupiter/Stargate, Maldonado exemplifies the rising progressive camp in New Mexico and the nation and is even endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders.
A University of New Mexico law school graduate who professes conservative values, Barncastle is a member of the Mesilla Valley’s historic Salopek farm family well known for pecan orchards.
Last but not least, Doña Ana Deputy County Attorney Cari Neill, a protagonist in many of the dramas outlined above, jumped ship as stormy waters welled up this past spring. Considering the trend, one may well ask: Who will be the next to exit the Doña Ana political stage?
Note: The next regular meeting of the Board of Doña Ana County Commissioners will be held on Tuesday, July 28, beginning at 9 am. Public comment is on the agenda. The meeting will be held at the Doña Ana County Government Center, 845 N. Motel Blvd. in Las Cruces.