Santa Fe County has hired state Department of Finance and Administration Secretary Katherine Miller as county manager. Miller will begin work Sept. 2. Under the terms of her three-year-contract, she'll be paid $155,000 per year.

She succeeds Roman Abeyta who resigned last month in the midst of an ongoing sheriff's investigation into allegations of possible fraud and theft in the county's Public Works Department.

When announcing their selection of Miller on Tuesday, county commissioners lauded Miller's experience in various levels of government and background as a fiscal manager.

Commissioner Virginia Vigil said Miller also had "excellent" interpersonal and presentation skills and experience handling news media, political situations and the legislative process.

Vigil also praised Miller for having a high level of professional and personal ethics and a "collaborative management style."

Miller — who since 2006 has headed the state Department of Finance, here she was paid $151,000 a year — has a bachelor's degree in business from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. She worked as Santa Fe County's procurement manager from 1997 to 1999 and as finance director from 1999 to 2003.

Miller is the fifth member of Gov. Bill Richardson's cabinet in the past month to announce their departure from his administration, which has five months remaining before a new governor is sworn in.

Richardson's office said Tuesday that the Department of Finance and Administration's deputy secretary, Dannette Burch, will replace Miller.

In the brief remarks after the commission's announcement Tuesday, Miller said the five and a half years she spent at the county were her first introduction to New Mexico politics and one of her main reasons for deciding to stay in the state.

"I know that the county is facing a lot of difficult issues," Miller said. "I hope my experience in finances in government and quasi-government and private industry will bring good direction and leadership to Santa Fe County."

In a separate but related matter, the commission also voted Tuesday to pay an additional six weeks of severance to her predecessor.

The commission had already voted to give Abeyta six weeks severance pay when it accepted his resignation last month.

Based on Abeyta's $128,000 annual salary, his severance pay will total about $30,000. Under the terms of Abeyta's contract he was not entitled to any severance pay because he voluntarily quit his job.

But Commissioner Liz Stefanics said the county's elected governing body extended the additional money to Abeyta as a "matter of courtesy" after learning that his contract, like that of other employees such as county attorney Stephen Ross, contains a clause that requires three months severance pay if they are fired.

Stefanics said Miller's new contract will have the same provision. She also pointed out that when someone leaves county employment they lose "hundreds of hours of sick leave."

In response to a reporter's comment that many in the private sector face the same losses upon voluntarily leaving their place of employment, Stefanics responded that "government works a little differently."

The commission vote to award the additional money to Abeyta was 3 to 1. Commissioner Kathleen Holian was absent from the meeting. Commissioner Michael Anaya voted against the payout, saying he didn't feel the money could be justified given the county's current financial picture.

"This has nothing to do with the work our manager had done in the past," Anaya said. "He did an awesome job. But I don't think I can support that because the county is going through some tough times right now."

Contact Phaedra Haywood at 986-3068 or phaywood@sfnewmexican.com