Mayor Webber Appoints Interim City Manager | City of Santa Fe

Mayor Webber Appoints Interim City Manager

28 Oct, 2024

Mayor Alan Webber announced he is appointing City Attorney Erin McSherry for the role of Interim City Manager and Senior Assistant City Attorney Marcos Martinez as Interim City Attorney as of November 2, 2024. While McSherry will not apply for the permanent City Manager position, Mayor Webber says her immediate nomination will ensure continuity and stability at the City of Santa Fe during the search for a City Manager. 

City Manager John Blair announced his resignation to take a position in Washington, D.C. Blair was appointed Santa Fe's 27th City Manager in January 2022. In his nearly three years of service for the City of Santa Fe, Blair has led the City's team in many great accomplishments and new initiatives, including:

  • Fixing the City's longstanding audit problems, including instituting new policies, technology, and leadership
  • $20 million renovation of regional airport
  • Instituting a culture of collaboration, cooperation, accountability, and teamwork
  • Successfully modernizing the City's public safety radio system
  • Initiating overdue renovation of the City's wastewater treatment facility
  • Modernizing and professionalizing City services and operations
  • Motivating the City to be a leader in LGBTQ Rights and Equality in city government and community-wide
  • Making the City government responsive to the community by pushing out information and public notices in a timely way, including public safety notices
  • Recruiting high-quality talent to the City of Santa Fe 

"The opportunity to make my hometown a better place to work and live has been a career highlight, and I'm incredibly proud of the work that Team Santa Fe has accomplished over the last three years," says Blair.

The City posted the City Manager job description on Thursday, as it launched what is designed to be a thorough, extensive, and transparent candidate search process. The recruitment announcement is posted in many mediums, including the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), LinkedIn, Indeed, the New Mexico Municipal League, and the Local Government Hispanic Network. Mayor Webber emphasized the temporary nature of the change of positions for both McSherry and Martinez. Mayor Webber says he is grateful to have the experience of Deputy City Manager Layla Archuletta-Maestas during the transition.

McSherry joined the City of Santa Fe as City Attorney in July 2018. Martinez is the longest-serving attorney in the City, having 17 years of service. Mayor Webber stressed the importance of having talented staff in key positions while the search for a new City Manager is underway. Following her service as interim city manager, McSherry plans to return to the role of city attorney, and Martinez will return to his current role. 

The Governing Body's vote to consent to the appointments is scheduled for the October 30th meeting. Blair's final day as City Manager is November 1, 2024.

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