As Bernalillo County’s Chief Administrative Officer, County Manager Thaddeus Lucero oversees the operation of five divisions, 25 departments and some 1800 employees. He was hired by the County Commission in September 2003 and brings nearly 20 years experience in government management to the position.

 

Lucero started with Bernalillo County in January 1992 as a senior zoning inspector after relocating to Albuquerque from Seattle where he served as the city’s Neighborhood Planner and Economic Development Manager from 1985 to 1991. He graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle with a B.A. in Urban Planning in 1981 and attended the JFK School of Government-Harvard University Program for Senior Executives in July 1996.

 

From April 1994 to December 1997, Lucero served as Bernalillo County’s Zoning, Building, and Planning Director. In January 5, 1998, he was promoted to Director of the County’s Community Services Division. There he managed the day-to-day operations and long term planning for the Housing, Parks and Recreation, and Building and Planning Departments. He is currently a member of the American Planning Association, a non-profit public interest and research organization representing 39,000 practicing planners, officials, and citizens involved in urban and rural planning issues; and of National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), an organization that enhances governance skills and deepens the understanding of critical policy issues.

 

Since his appointment as County Manager, effective September 20, 2003 he has overseen numerous large scale, historic county projects including the transition of the City of Albuquerque’s management of the Metropolitan Detention Center to the County in July 2007; a Juvenile Detention Center initiative that has reduced the facilities’ population from 5000 to 3000 or fewer residents per year through the use of progressive, alternative programs; the opening of MATS, a public, substance abuse treatment facility that provides a continuum of care; the development of South Valley Health Commons, a comprehensive, 41,000 square foot health clinic in the South Valley; Isleta Phase II is underway and this $23 million dollar project marks the completion of major improvement to this historic roadway in the South Valley. Phase I was completed in 2003 and Phase II is expected to be complete in the summer of 2007.   He also has implemented the County’s two-year budget cycle, which indicates stable growth in main revenue sources, gross receipts and property taxes, and a healthy bottom line.

 

“I am proud to serve as Bernalillo County Manager,” Lucero says. “This is my home and nothing is more important to me than providing the quality services and facilities necessary to promote the safety and welfare of our community.