Portales fire chief interim city manager

Portales Fire Chief TJ Cathey will serve as interim city manager until the City Council replaces Sarah Austin who was fired in a 6-2 Council vote on Tuesday.

Cathey said he will direct the public to the resources it needs and take over some “in-charge” duties.

“I am willing to step in as interim, to be a team player and help out, but I am not interested in the City Manager position at this time,” he wrote in a text message Friday.

He said the Council agenda calls for an executive session at this Tuesday’s meeting to discuss the interim city manager’s position. If the Council asks him to serve as the “official” interim manager he will call a press conference so he can communicate “several things to our community,” he wrote.

Portales Mayor Mike Miller said the Council has no candidate in mind to succeed Austin. “We will begin our search for a replacement ASAP,” he said.

Tuesday’s meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Memorial Building.

Council members fired Austin “without cause,” after placing her on administrative leave the week before.

Austin has said she doesn’t know why her contract was terminated. City officials have declined to comment.

Council members went into executive session for about 30 minutes before voting. Veronica Cordova and Eldon Merrick opposed Austin’s termination.

Merrick declined to say why he opposed her firing.

Cordova, appointed as spokesperson for the Council, said, “We felt it was in the best interest of the city to go a different direction.”

Austin’s contract was the only matter on the Council’s agenda Tuesday.

It wasn’t clear whether Austin will be paid for the remainder of her contract, which she said extends to December. Miller said there is a clause in Austin’s contract that promises her 3 months of severance pay, but that was still being negotiated.

Austin has declined to speak with the News since her termination.

Austin, previously the city manager in Milan, was named Portales city manager in June 2021 after a probationary period. In 2022, City Council members extended her contract through 2024, records show.

She inherited a variety of city infrastructure issues and the city has faced water shortages since before her tenure began. Last summer, she initiated a strict policy that prohibited most outdoor watering. The policy she established with the City Council has been unpopular with many community residents. But officials have declined to say whether water issues led to Austin’s termination.