On Aug. 28, the city of Albuquerque and Mayor Tim Keller announced that Lawrence Rael, the city's current Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), will retire in November. Pending confirmation from the City Council, the role will be taken over by Dr. Samantha Sengel, Vice President of Central New Mexico College, according to a press release.
“As far as government leaders go, Lawrence is one of a kind in New Mexico. Through four administrations he has left an indelible mark in improving nearly every corner of the city, creating thousands of jobs, and over three decades leading tens of thousands of the City workforce on a daily basis,” said Mayor Tim Keller, according to the press release. “He has my, and I know all of Albuquerque’s gratitude for his lasting legacy building the Duke City. He has earned his retirement two times over!”
According to the press release, Rael has a long-standing history of service and is the longest serving CAO in city history. He's held the position intermittently across four mayoral terms since 1990. In 2017, he began his tenure under the Keller Administration and was responsible for a number of important infrastructure projects. He was also instrumental in reforming the APD and fostered strong city employee relations, overseeing three year collective bargaining agreements with most of the city’s workforce.
“Nobody does this work alone. I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish any of these amazing projects without the hard work of the thousands of city employees who I’ve had the pleasure to work with every day. Still, not bad for a kid from Sile,” said Rael, according to the press release.
A two-month transition period between Rael and Dr. Sengel was announced by the city, which will commence following the city council's confirmation of the new CAO. Dr. Sengel brings to the city more than twenty years of managerial and executive leadership experience, according to a press release.
“I am so pleased to be able to continue my focus on developing the future of Albuquerque and central New Mexico as a great place to live, learn, work, and prosper. This has been my life’s work for a quarter century, and I look forward to working alongside all of our dedicated City employees to continue that focus,” said Dr. Sengel, per the press release.