City hires new assistant city manager

When Margaret Paluch arrived in Alamogordo in 2010 to be the manager of the Alamogordo Public Housing division, she said the department was in poor shape. Now Paluch is Alamogordo's new assistant city manager. She started working in her new position Monday.

"HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) has a scoring system for housing authorities across the nation," said Paluch. "They're scored on different things: conditions of the buildings and land, financial condition of the housing authority and the management condition. When I got there in 2010, the housing authority had a substandard management score and had numerous audit findings."

Paluch said her first piece of business was to build a good team and clean up the audit findings.

"We cleaned up the audit findings within the first year and then over the next five years we increased our score with HUD annually until the final year where we're now high performing," she said. "It's the highest category that you can receive with HUD."

Paluch, who grew up in a Navy family, spent much of her life on the east coast. Paluch earned a bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in law from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. After college Paluch moved to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where her father was working as the city manager. She began working as an assistant city manager in Wareham, Massachusetts, and a procurement administrator.

Paluch said she enjoyed public administration so much during that position, she enrolled at Suffolk University in Boston to get her master's. After budget constraints in Wareham, Massachusetts, Paluch went to work in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, in the same position. After receiving her master's degree, Paluch married and moved to Alaska with her husband who was in the U.S. Coast Guard at the time. After her husband left the military to go back to school for nursing, the Paluch's moved to Alamogordo to be closer to Maggie's parents.

After five and a half years with the Alamogordo Public Housing Authority, Paluch applied for the assistant city manager's position which had been left vacant after the passing of Matt McNeile in August 2015.

"I really enjoyed my time working on this side of the government," Paluch said. "I really like the fact that when you come to work everyday, there's a new challenge and you never know what the day's going to bring."

Paluch said her current project has been working to ramp up the City's special events until the City's new Special Events Manager arrives.

"We're excited because that position hadn't been filled for a while," Paluch said. "She's coming on board to start some new special events, we're going to keep the Pupfish going, ZooBoo, Fourth Fridays and hopefully we'll start adding to our special events this season."

Paluch said she's had a wonderful time working with Interim City Manager, Dr. George Straface.

"He's really set the city up for success for when he leaves and a permanent City Manager comes on board," she said.

The City of Alamogordo continues with their search for a new City Manager.

Paluch said they're looking to hire someone this summer after the March 1 City Commission and Mayor-at-large elections are over.

Paluch said she wants the community to know her door is always open for concerns or ideas.

"I hope people feel free to come in and talk to me," she said. "The more ideas and suggestions we can get from the citizens, the better. We have great minds here at the city but we're in City Hall and they're out in the community doing their everyday task and if they have ideas I'm welcoming that."