County attorney: Scott Andrews’ exit was negotiated separation, not simple resignation
Doña Ana County’s attorney says former Manager Scott Andrews reached a negotiated separation with commissioners and that his six-month salary payment was contractually required.
Maestas says six months of salary was required under Andrews’ existing contract and says circumstances behind his departure remain protected personnel and attorney-client matters
Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News
LAS CRUCES - Doña Ana County’s interim attorney is pushing back on descriptions of former County Manager Scott Andrews’ departure as a simple resignation, saying commissioners and Andrews instead reached a negotiated separation governed by his existing employment contract.
Interim County Attorney Alonzo Maestas addressed Andrews’ departure during the Aug. 25 meeting of the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners, saying questions had continued to come from commissioners and county residents about Andrews’ resignation and separation.
“Dr. Andrews did not simply resign from his position as County Manager,” Maestas said. “The Board of County Commissioners and Dr. Andrews reached a negotiated agreement regarding a separation from employment with Doña Ana County.”
Commissioners voted unanimously July 21 to terminate Andrews’ employment contract without cause, effective immediately. Organ Mountain News reported at the time that Andrews would receive six months of salary under the terms of his employment contract and a signed separation agreement.
The county’s announcement at the time provided no explanation for the decision beyond saying the termination was without cause.
Organ Mountain News
Maestas offered additional context Aug. 25 about the structure of that agreement and the public money paid to Andrews following his departure.
Under Andrews’ employment agreement, Maestas said, the separation entitled him to six months of salary. He said that provision was consistent with previous county manager contracts and national practices for professional local government management.
The payment, Maestas stressed, was not an additional benefit commissioners decided to give Andrews when his employment ended.
“I understand there may be concerns regarding the expenditure of public funds,” Maestas said. “But we have to be clear the payment was not an additional benefit created by the Board in connection with Dr. Andrews’ departure.”
Instead, Maestas said the county made the payment under its contractual obligations as part of the negotiated separation.
What led commissioners and Andrews to negotiate his departure remains undisclosed.
Maestas said the circumstances leading to the separation involved personnel matters and attorney-client privileged discussions concerning the negotiations, preventing him from discussing those circumstances publicly.
Andrews had served as county manager since October 2024 before commissioners terminated his contract less than two years into the job.
The Aug. 25 remarks mark the county’s most detailed public explanation to date of the legal structure surrounding Andrews’ departure, while leaving unanswered why commissioners moved to end his tenure.
Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.
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