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Leadership changes in the city of Anthony have not put an end to conflict between the new mayor and his predecessor.

Ninety days into his administration, with a new Board of Trustees, police chief and key staff, Mayor Gabriel Holguin publicly released a letter last week calling for a forensic audit of the city and a law enforcement probe over missing documents and property at City Hall. The letter implicated two former officials in particular.

Holguin ousted Diana Murillo as mayor of the Doña Ana County city in November, culminating a rivalry that spanned his four-year term as a city trustee. The two officials, along with their respective allies on the board, clashed frequently during public meetings, disputing about personnel decisions, Murillo’s management of City Hall and her control of meeting agendas. They each filed abortive lawsuits seeking to remove one another from office.

At her final meeting as mayor in December, Murillo announced she had filed an ethics complaint against Holguin with state agencies. Holguin responded with a tort notice accusing Murillo and former Anthony Police Chief Vanessa Ordoñez of misconduct.

Now, in his public appeal to the district attorney and attorney general, Holguin raises new allegations, including a potentially damaging claim against Ordoñez as she runs for county sheriff in the November election.

“Since taking office, we have identified what appears to be the deletion and loss of public records, including investigative files, operational documents, and grant-related materials,” Holguin wrote in the March 31 letter, addressed jointly to New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez and District Attorney Fernando Macias. “At the Police Department, there was no proper transition. Systems were left locked, devices were wiped, and access to critical information was not turned over.”

Holguin alleged Murillo reported her city-issued laptop computer and mobile phone lost rather than return them. He also said systemic issues regarding financial controls such as timecards and payroll procedures warranted an outside review.

The letter strikes an alarming tone, claiming Holguin considered declaring a state of emergency and that trustees and employees were “increasingly overwhelmed” in the face of missing records, accounting failures and a high volume of public record requests burdening staff.

Murillo told the Journal she would have cooperated with any inquiry or questions about the transition — but no one contacted her.

“Instead of picking up the phone, he chose to go public,” she said. “I stand by the integrity of my administration and welcome any fair, independent review of the facts.”

Trustees weigh in

Two trustees who spoke with the Journal gave very different accounts of the situation at City Hall. Trustee Fernando Herrera backed Holguin’s account, saying, “We’re having to start over again from new. … It’s really bogging us down. We can’t find ordinances that we passed, resolutions that we passed; we can’t find grants and a bunch of other stuff that we were supposed to have.”

He said new city employees were buckling, and some quitting, under the pressure.

But Trustee Daniel Barreras, a distant cousin of Murillo who jokes that he is related to “70% of the city,” said the pressure was coming from Holguin himself, settling scores and retaliating against employees who displeased him.

“He’s the one causing the issues,” Barreras said. “Since the beginning, he never liked the mayor (Murillo). … Now he’s running the city as he wants to run it. If you don’t give him what he wants, he gets mad.”

Holguin was not available for comment. 

Politics were also in play as Holguin’s letter addressed messages sent to a mobile phone assigned to Anthony’s police chief, currently used by the city’s new police chief, Aurora Hernandez, but apparently intended for Ordoñez.

Sheriff candidate pushes back

At the end of December, Ordoñez resigned as police chief and is running for Doña Ana County sheriff.

In his letter, Holguin said, “statements about (Ordoñez) being on the Giglio and Brady lists were sent to the District Attorney’s office. Those messages were then sent to a phone number previously associated with Ms. Ordoñez, which is now assigned to our current Chief. As a result, our office received those communications. Based on the content, it appears Ms. Ordoñez was alerted to those concerns. Given that she is currently running for Sheriff, this raises concerns about how sensitive information is being handled.”

A Giglio or Brady notice, which names a police officer as having credibility issues that could be called into question at a criminal trial, can have severe consequences for a law enforcement career.

Ordoñez told the Journal she is not currently on any such list, but disclosed that over a decade ago, she had had to address “a failure to disclose a personal relationship with a co-worker at that time.”

“Since that time, I have testified in court on numerous occasions (and) fully disclosed this matter to the District Attorney’s Office,” she said. “Only a historical note exists in the record. I have also remained a certified peace officer in good standing.”

Ordoñez said she was not aware of any communications sent to her prior work phone and she had no access to the device.

“At no point has the current administration reached out to me to seek clarification or utilize established systems designed to ensure continuity of operations,” Ordoñez continued. “These systems and policies remain in place to support a smooth transition and provide necessary guidance, and have not been engaged. The absence of such outreach raises serious questions about the intent and timing behind Mayor Gabriel Holguin’s allegations.”

Lauren Rodriguez, the attorney general’s chief of staff, said, “We have received the complaint in question. An attorney within our Government Counsel and Accountability Bureau has been assigned to the matter.”

Maestas confirmed that his office received a request from the city for a special audit on April 14.

“At this point, the request is still under review, and no determination has been made regarding whether or when a special audit would proceed, or whether another type of review may be more appropriate,” Maestas said, adding, “It would be premature to proceed at this point pending additional fact-finding to confirm allegations outlined in the mayor's letter.”

Algernon ��’A������������ is the Journal’s southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.