Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
PROJECTS EDITOR
Rumblings of personnel problems at the Curry County jail went unanswered Thursday during a special County Commission meeting.
Curry County Manager Lance Pyle declined to answer questions about charges of nepotism at the jail raised by community activist Josefita Griego.
Griego said she learned from undisclosed sources that Jail Administrator Tori Sandoval was recently suspended two weeks without pay for hiring two relatives. Griego told commissioners about her concerns during the public comment phase of the meeting.
Pyle and the three commissioners present — Chairman Frank Blackburn, Ben McDaniel and Robert Sandoval — didn’t respond to any of Griego’s allegations.
After the meeting, Pyle said he couldn’t answer any questions about Sandoval because it was a personnel matter.
“The county has a nepotism policy,” Pyle said. “If there was a violation of the nepotism policy, it has been dealt with.”
Asked if there had been a violation, Pyle again declined comment saying “that’s a personnel matter.”
Sandoval also declined to comment when asked if she had been suspended, saying it was a personnel issue. Asked if two of her relatives were working at the jail, Sandoval said “You need to look at who hired in the individuals. (Former Administrator Gerry) Billy was the administrator at the time.”
The county nepotism policy states, in part: “No one related to a Department Head will be hired, appointed or employed in that department during that Department Head’s term of employment. No County employee shall supervise, or hold a supervisory position in the same department as a near relative.”
The policy also says if there is any change that puts relatives working in the same department “The County personnel director will arrange for the transfer of one of the employees in question.” It further notes that if no position is available to transfer “within three (3) months of notice, one employee will be terminated. Any employee not submitting a letter indicating a change of relative or spousal relationship ... will be disciplined.”
Griego is a frequent critic of Pyle and Sandoval on her Facebook page “Take Back Your Community Clovis/Curry.”
