The possible appointment of retired Municipal Judge Kathy Savilla to her own vacated judgeship may be the first time in New Mexico that any elected official has retired and returned to office after 90 days under the Public Employees Retirement Act, according to the Municipal League official quoted by the Valencia County News-Bulletin.

The Municipal League also says the City of Belen is within its rights to appoint Savilla back to her own vacated judgeship, despite a pending complaint by a local community group filed with New Mexico’s attorney general’s office in late December.

While most of the legal analysis by the Municipal League is not disputed by Our Tomorrow: For a Better Belen, which filed the complaint, the group cautions locals to be aware that the Municipal League receives substantial amounts of money from the City of Belen in exchange for its services, including legal advice.

The attorney general’s office has not formally responded to the group’s complaint and it is unclear what action, if any, the City of Belen will take on the matter prior to hearing from the attorney general.

This page was published on January 14, 2009 at 2:16pm and is filed under Archive.