By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper.
Sandoval County Assessor Linda Gallegos has resigned, closing out a two-term tenure that became a countywide controversy after she kept collecting her county paycheck while working a second, higher-paying state job. Her resignation, effective July 10, comes five weeks after commissioners voted to formally demand it.
In a resignation letter addressed to County Manager Wayne Johnson, Gallegos said she stayed in office past accepting a State Cash Manager position with the New Mexico Treasurer’s Office to shepherd the county’s property tax protest period to a close, along with two other priorities she outlined in a May 19 press release.
Gallegos told The Paper. she felt pride, not regret, walking out of the Assessor’s Office for the last time. “I cannot thank my staff enough for their hard work, loyalty and dedication,” she said, adding she looks forward to “working alongside my neighbors as a vested constituent who wants the very best for our community.” County Manager Johnson said the commission is now weighing next steps for appointing her replacement.
State Rep. Catherine Cullen (R-Rio Rancho) called the arrangement a “taxpayer-funded side hustle.”
“Public office is a public trust,” Cullen said in a statement in June. “They expect elected officials to be fully committed to the jobs they were elected to do, not collecting multiple taxpayer-funded salaries while delegating the responsibilities of public office.”
Gallegos’s departure follows a June 10 commission vote, 4-1, formally requesting her resignation under a state law that deems an elected official to have resigned if they go 30-plus consecutive days without devoting ordinary working hours to the job. Commissioners raised the issue after Gallegos began earning a reported $155,000 a year in the state role on May 4 while continuing to draw her $86,626 county salary. Her resignation letter doesn’t concede the point — she accused the commission of “political grandstanding” and cautioned members against “overseeing” an elected office without the certifications she said state law requires.
Sandoval County Commission Chair Jordan Juarez pushed back on that characterization in an email to The Paper.
“The assessor’s comments are, frankly, unprofessional, as is her breach of public trust. The commission’s decision was merely to respectfully request her to prioritize voters over personal interests,” Juraez said. “Ultimately, the Office of the Attorney General deemed it a sufficient breach of public trust to inform her via a letter to resign. She is entitled to her opinions, as are all individuals; however, holding two public offices concurrently is unjust to the residents of Sandoval County, who entrusted her with her responsibilities. It should be noted that her seven years in office allowed her to rectify numerous past errors, and her service to the county over that period is duly acknowledged and appreciated.”
More details
- Gallegos’s letter argues neither 2026 primary nominee for assessor would want to step into the job mid-term, since doing so could cost them classified status and a pay cut in their current jobs.
- The commission previously said it lacks authority to remove an elected official from office; the June 10 resolution was a formal request, not a legal mandate.
- Any interim appointee would serve through Dec. 31, 2026. Voters will pick a permanent successor in November — Democrat Gerred Prairie faces Republican Lawrence Griego, who defeated Deputy Assessor Richard Shanks in the June primary.