Report: County Clerk’s intimate relationship with chief deputy violated county policy

The results of an internal investigation by the Doña Ana County government found former County Clerk Scott Krahling violated county policy because he was in an intimate relationship with his chief deputy, Rose Ann Vasquez, documents obtained by ABC-7’s New Mexico Mobile Newsroom state.

Krahling resigned suddenly in late August 2018, leaving the County scrambling to find a replacement just months before the November general election.

The findings of the investigation, and the allegations investigated, are detailed in a memorandum sent by Doña Ana County Human Resources Director Deborah Weir to County Manager Fernando Macias.

The subject of the memo is “Clerk’s Office – Allegations of Hostile Work Environment.”

The document states an internal complaint was filed on behalf of Cindy Padilla, an administrative assistant with the county clerk’s office. Padilla alleged an inappropriate relationship existed between Krahling and Vasquez. “It was further alleged that Krahling’s and Vasquez’s conduct made some employees uncomfortable,” the memo states.

Padilla alleged Krahling and Vasquez worked late office hours when no one was in the office, took trips together and had “unprofessional fights” in the office, including an incident in which Vasquez allegedly threw coffee at Krahling, the memo states.

An employee allegedly witnessed Vasquez leaving Krahling’s hotel room when the two visited Santa Fe for work. Vasquez allegedly made her own schedule, clocked in at all hours, while “coming and going as she desired,” the document states. Padilla argued other employees were disciplined for doing what Vasquez did. “It was further alleged that Krahling was clocking in and out for Vasquez when she would not clock in or out,” the memo states.

After the allegations came to light, County Attorney Nelson Goodin hired two independent investigators to investigate the complaints against Krahling and Vasquez. The investigators interviewed 19 county employees, including 13 who worked for Krahling’s office.

Krahling, the memo states, allegedly admitted to having an affair with Vasquez when she worked for his campaign, but said the relationship ended just before Vasquez became his chief deputy in January 2018. “Krahling further stated that ‘their relationship never affected anyone else or any personnel decisions or anyone’s rights,'” the document states.

In regards to spending time together while on work-related trips, Krahling allegedly told investigators he could not remember a date when Vasquez would have left his room early in the morning. Vasquez did not recall the specific incident mentioned in the complaint, but “reported that they would spend the night in one another’s room during out of town trips,” the document states.

In regards to the complaint about Krahling clocking in and out for Vasquez, an audit allegedly revealed “numerous edits and manual punches made by Krahling on Vasquez’s time card.” The document further states that “on many occasions, Krahling either manually added an ‘in’ or ‘out’ punch without a comment” while adding there were “numerous entries listing ‘working offsite’ entered by Krahling for Vasquez.”

According to the report, the investigators concluded the allegations of a hostile working environment could not be substantiated, but the “intimate relationship between Krahling and Vasquez had a negative impact on the Clerk’s Office employees” and “was the source of gossip and distraction.”

“The intimate relationship between Krahling and Vasquez is a clear violation” of county policy, the report states.