8/20/09
The city is on the way to replacing former Española Water Director Marvin Martinez, but the question of whether he can be replaced is still unanswered – partly because the city still relies on his advice.
In at least one sense, Martinez will not be replaced. When the city advertised for a new point man in the water department last week, they did not advertise for a water director. Instead, the position has been downgraded to Water Services Foreman, which includes most of the same responsibilities Martinez performed, but pays around $10,000 less ($55,000).
“As far as the attending meetings, reporting to the Council stuff, they won’t need to do that,” City Public Works Director Ben Ortega said. “That’s what I’m here for. But I have three departments under me, I can’t be down in the hole with the guys all the time. That’s the kind of thing the new guy will do.”
Specifically, the job description as posted by the city requires the person hired to “plan, direct and coordinate a comprehensive program for the City’s water and assist with wastewater lines, sewer lines and solid waste system so as to insure the highest level of maintenance at the most favorable cost within the budget.” Applicants must possess the equivalent of a high school diploma plus seven years of experience, or 10 years of experience in lieu of a diploma. The posting also requires the applicant have certifications as mandated by the state. For a city of Española’s size, this means a Level 3 Water Operator certification.
“We’re hoping to fill the position in-house to make the transition smoother,” Acting City Manager Veronica Albin said. “We do have some employees with the certifications, and a lot of our water and wastewater staff are cross-trained. They may not have worked here as long (as Martinez), but they’ll be familiar with the system and the way we do things. ”
The city in fact has two city employees with the necessary Level 3 certification, both of whom applied for the job: wastewater collections operator Juan Antonio Chavez and Ramon Marquez, who is currently serving as the Interim Water Services Foreman. When the in-house posting period ended last week, they were the only two applicants, Albin said.
Ortega, Albin, and Human Resources Director Jeanie Brito will meet this week, probably Thursday (8/20), to discuss the applicants and interview them, Ortega said. If neither applicant is chosen, the city will begin advertising for outside candidates.
In the meantime, it is unclear whether city water can function without Martinez. Martinez’s resignation took effect a little over a week ago, and since then, he has been giving Ortega advice regularly, Ortega said.
“It’s not like I keep calling and begging for help,” he said. “But we’re friends, so we talk regularly, and if I have questions for him, I ask.”
Martinez has been out to the city in person at least once since his resignation. The visit was intended to handle some paperwork, but Martinez ended up at his old office, helping to sort out a few minor points of confusion.
“A lot of what Marvin knew was in Marvin’s head, so there aren’t any files on it,” Ortega said. “So at least at first here we’re having to call him to retrieve it, so to speak.”
Martinez, though he said he has several challenging projects to tackle for Santa Fe County, where he is now the head of their Water and Wastewater Division, is glad to help while he is not too busy to do so.
“Eventually I’m not going to be as easy to reach because I’ll have so much to do here,” he said.