The city Land Use Department director and her husband are both leaving their jobs at the City of Santa Fe, just a few weeks after an un-permitted construction project at their home earned a red tag from the department she oversees.
An announcement from City Hall issued Tuesday morning says the couple's joint resignation, effective Dec. 13, has to do with family concerns.
Carol Johnson joined Mayor Alan Webber's senior staff in April 2018 to lead the city department that manages buildings permits and enforces zoning laws, among other tasks.
Johnson moved to Santa Fe with her husband, Kevin Kellogg, from Maricopa County, Arizona, where she had been planning and development director. Prior to that she held the same position for the City of Berkeley, California.
Kellogg worked initially as the executive director at The Housing Trust, but stepped down from that job before becoming city asset manager in June.
"Due to the urgent need to care for a family member, I have made the difficult decision to resign from the City of Santa Fe," said Johnson. "I have made dear friends here and will continue to have strong connections to this place, but family must come first. The needs of my family require me to relocate to Oregon by the end of December, so my last day with the City of Santa Fe will be December 13."
Webber issued a statement that called their departure "a bitter-sweet announcement."
"In Land Use, Carol has been a true leader," he writes. "Thanks to her, we're headed in the right direction in housing, neighborhood planning and livability, and improved customer service. Kevin's work in Asset Development has been just as significant, working on the mid-town site, turning City land into housing, promoting economic opportunities, and overseeing the property the City owns and needs to manage better. They are both going to be missed, and I wish them only the best as they move to take care of their family."
Johnson and Kellogg landed in a front-page story in The Santa Fe New Mexican on Nov. 19, when a code enforcement inspector issued a stop-work order known as a red tag at their home in the historic district. The inspector told the newspaper he was just doing his job, and Kellogg issued an apology for getting ahead of the permit process.
