Doña Ana County's new manager embraces modernization and optimism

Scott Andrews is, by his own account, “just as corny as advertised.”

The new Doña Ana County manager likes to employ “dad jokes” without regard for consequence and compares himself to Ted Lasso. 

His disarming persona, cultivated after two decades in government, stems from an optimistic outlook and an ability to smile through tough times. And tough times are no doubt what he’ll face in Doña Ana County as he seeks to remold and revitalize a 172-year-old institution. 

“We have healthy reserves, pretty solid commission – good bones, as people would say,” Andrews told the Las Cruces Bulletin during an interview in December, his first since taking the position. 

After the county commission decided to part ways with Fernando Macias, it selected Andrews at the end of a months-long hiring process. The commission picked Andrews—who hails from Florida—over two other outside candidates and one local. 

Andrews' last post was as assistant city manager in Bakersfield, Calif., from 2022 to 2024. Before that, he was city manager of Covington, Ga., from 2019 to 2022 and Assistant City Manager of Smyrna, Ga., from 2017 to 2019. He earned a doctorate in education from Argosy University in California in 2015.  

As county manager, Andrews' office is where the buck stops. He oversees the entire county government and acts as the county's chief liaison to the outside world. However, unlike his municipal counterparts, Andrews shares power with elected officials such as the sheriff, the county clerk and the county accessor. 

The tension inherent in power-sharing has led to public feuds and the undoing of previous administrations. But Andrews said he’s up for it. 

“The nice thing about being the new guy is that I have nothing against anyone. They shouldn't have anything against me because they didn't know me,” Andrews said. “So I think just sitting down and saying ‘Hey, I'm here to help you. How can I make your job easier?’” Andrews said. 

That’s one challenge. Andrews also anticipates that modernizing the government will be part of his tenure as county manager. 

“In this region, we are compared to Las Cruces or El Paso or insert name of neighboring city where I think we need to be looking bigger. We need to be looking at best practices nationwide,” he said. 

That doesn’t mean he wants to come in and flip the monopoly board, as he put it. But it does mean looking at how things are done and why they’re being done. 

“Modernization to me means taking our money the furthest, leaning on technology, being innovative. Do we need a position for that? Or is that something we can outsource? Who does it better? So, kind of asking all those questions, taking a step back and reflecting on, what are we doing well? What are we not doing well?” he said. 

Modernization must also include economic development for Andrews. Interviews with county commissioners about Andrews revealed that they gave him a mandate for economic growth. 

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that about 1 in 5 residents and 1 in 4 children live below the poverty line. Additionally, most county residents make less money per year than other New Mexicans. Those economic realities fuse with political ones that place Doña Ana County squarely in the sight of immigration challenges and border trade. 

It’ll take time to meet that goal, Andrews said. 

“Right now, we have a staff member in economic development. Just one,” he said. “We're not going to add 15 positions overnight, so we'll have to chip away this thing over the next few years.”

Yet, ever the optimist, Andrews said his outlook for the future is positive. 

“We're in this historic moment, at a crossroads for the area, addressing the haves and have-nots, addressing those that have been forgotten about, making the best of the resources around us,” Andrews said.