County manager gives State of County address; calls treasurer’s actions ‘despicable’

Dona Ana County Manager Julia Brown delivered the State of the County address on Monday.

“Notwithstanding revenue shortfalls, vacant positions in some departments, and our recent discussions regarding the need to upgrade employee compensation, and possibly implement a gross receipts tax, the state of dona ana county is positive,” Brown said early on in her speech.

“We’re building on the successes of our past and embracing the change needed for our strong future,” Brown said.

Brown also mentioned the recent controversy involving Dona Ana County Treasurer David Gutierrez.

A county employee said Gutierrez offered her $1,000 in exchange for sex, an allegation Gutierrez did not dispute.

“There is one low point from last year that I feel I must touch on and that was the action by the county treasurer, David Gutierrez, which led to his censure by the board of county commissioners and their call for his resignation. A call which he unfortunately has not heeded,” Brown said during her speech.

Brown told ABC-7 last week that Gutierrez “breached a promise to the voters.”

The county censured Gutierrez, but it cannot remove him from office because he is an elected official. Voters would have to gather enough signatures to recall Gutierrez.

“The treasurer is operating under some self-imposed delusion that he didn’t do anything wrong,” Brown told ABC-7 last week. “It is astonishing to me because these charges were not made up and I’m not even saying allegations because he confessed.”

Earlier this year, Gutierrez published a letter in which he outlined his reasons for not stepping down.

“I will not resign. I have 38,867 reasons why I won’t resign. That is the number of people who voted to re-elect me in 2012,” the treasurer stated. “The citizens of Dona Ana County trust me and approve of my job performance. I have done nothing over my 14 years in office to violate their trust.”