22 Days Later: Pecos Fired Him. Now He’s Elgin’s Unannounced Finance Director.
Twenty-two days.
That’s how much time passed between Charles E. Lino being terminated as City Manager of Pecos and appearing in a statewide municipal directory as the new Finance Director for the City of Elgin.
Elgin hasn’t announced his hiring. His departure from Pecos followed months of controversy over information councilmembers said he knew and failed to disclose. And now Robert Eads, the Elgin City Manager responsible for hiring City employees, is reportedly on indefinite leave.
There is no evidence connecting Eads’ leave to Lino’s hiring. But with Elgin already under a Texas Rangers criminal investigation, there is one question City Hall should be prepared to answer: How thoroughly was this hire vetted?
From Pecos to Elgin in 22 Days
Charles Lino, CPA, CGFM, is now listed in the Texas City Management Association directory as Finance Director for the City of Elgin, complete with a City government email address. As recently as the August 18 City Council meeting, however, City documents still identified Pamela Sanders as Interim Finance Director, and the status of the permanent position was questioned publicly.
Ten days later, Lino appears in the statewide directory as Elgin’s Finance Director. There has been no public announcement explaining when he was hired, when he starts or why he was selected. That silence becomes more significant when you look at what happened in Pecos just weeks ago.
What Lino Allegedly Failed to Tell the Council
The Pecos controversy centered on Councilman Conrado Saldana and a $3,000 consulting arrangement involving Kleinman Consultants, an engineering firm connected to the City-backed Hidden Heroes housing project. According to published reports, Saldana later participated in City action involving the firm, including making the motion that resulted in council approval of its participation in the project.
Pecos councilmembers said Lino knew about Saldana’s paid consulting relationship but failed to tell the rest of the governing body. In plain English, councilmembers said their City Manager knew one of their fellow elected officials had a paid financial relationship involving a company doing business with the City, yet the rest of the council wasn’t told.
On May 28, the Pecos City Council voted 3-2 demanding Lino resign. He refused.
Then the Situation Got More Serious
On June 26, Saldana turned himself in after being charged with felony abuse of official capacity related to the consulting arrangement. That criminal charge was against Saldana, not Lino, and Elgin Texas News has found no evidence that Lino was criminally charged in connection with the matter.
For Lino, the controversy centered on what Pecos councilmembers said he knew and why that information was not disclosed to them. Texas law and municipal policies contain conflict-of-interest and disclosure requirements involving public officials, vendors and government contracts, although there is currently no evidence establishing that Lino personally violated those laws.
The employment dispute continued. On July 30, Pecos placed Lino on administrative leave following an executive session. On August 6, Pecos terminated his employment.
Twenty-two days later, Lino appears as Elgin’s Finance Director.
What Did Elgin Know Before Hiring Him?
Being terminated from another city does not automatically disqualify someone from another government job. But Lino’s departure from Pecos wasn’t buried in a confidential personnel file or something that happened years ago. The resignation demand, Saldana criminal case, administrative leave and Lino’s termination were all publicly discoverable before he arrived in Elgin.
That makes Elgin’s due diligence important. A reasonable review should have examined what Lino knew about Saldana’s financial relationship, when he knew it, why Pecos councilmembers believed he should have disclosed it and what explanation Lino provided for what happened.
And the person responsible for that hiring decision was Robert Eads. Under Elgin’s administrative structure, the City Manager is responsible for hiring City employees. The City Council did not appoint Charles Lino as Finance Director.
Elgin Can’t Afford Questions About Due Diligence Right Now
This hiring decision deserves even more scrutiny because Elgin is already operating under the cloud of an ongoing Texas Rangers criminal investigation. Records requested from the City have previously been withheld after the Texas Attorney General was informed that releasing them could interfere with that investigation.
There is no evidence connecting the Rangers investigation to Lino, his hiring or Eads’ current leave. But when a City government is already facing a criminal investigation, major hiring decisions involving senior officials should be thoroughly vetted, transparent and above question.
That is especially true for the Finance Director. Elgin is in the middle of its FY2026-27 budget process while facing major questions about utility fund transfers, spending, fund balances, financial controls and infrastructure needs. The person overseeing the Finance Department will sit in the middle of decisions involving millions of dollars in public money.
After more than two years without a permanent Finance Director, filling that position should have been significant public news. Instead, residents appear to be learning about the hire through a statewide municipal directory.
Now Eads Is Reportedly on Indefinite Leave
Adding another layer of uncertainty, multiple sources within the City of Elgin have independently told Elgin Texas News that Robert Eads is on indefinite leave. The City has not publicly explained the reason, and Elgin Texas News has not obtained documentation establishing why Eads is out, when his leave began or when he is expected to return.
There is no evidence at this time showing Eads’ leave has anything to do with Lino’s hiring. Timing alone does not establish a connection, and the two should not be presented as connected without evidence.
But the known facts are significant enough. Lino was terminated from Pecos on August 6 following months of controversy over information councilmembers said he failed to disclose. Twenty-two days later, he appears as Elgin’s Finance Director, the City hasn’t announced the hire, and the City Manager responsible for hiring him is now reportedly on indefinite leave.
City Hall Needs to Fill in the Blanks
Elgin does not have to disclose confidential personnel information to provide basic transparency. The City can tell residents when Charles Lino was hired, when he begins work, whether the circumstances surrounding his Pecos departure were reviewed before he was selected and who is running the City while Robert Eads is away.
Those questions matter even more because Elgin is already under a Texas Rangers criminal investigation and is making some of its biggest financial decisions of the year. This is exactly when residents need confidence that major hiring decisions are being thoroughly vetted and conducted above board.
Twenty-two days from being terminated as City Manager in Pecos to appearing as Finance Director in Elgin.
Residents shouldn’t have to discover that by searching a statewide directory.
City Hall needs to fill in the blanks.
NewsWest 9, June 1, 2026: Pecos City Council voted 3-2 on May 28 requesting that Charles Lino step down within 30 days. The report says the issue involved his failure to disclose a councilman's consulting deal.
NewsWest 9's original video report is still online.
First Alert 7/KOSA, July 31, 2026: Pecos council voted July 30 to place Lino on administrative leave effective immediately following executive session.
First Alert 7, August 7, 2026: Pecos appointed Assistant City Manager Nicole Alderete-Ferrini as interim city manager following the August 6 special meeting.
El Paso Herald Post, August 10, 2026: this is the clearest published report on the actual termination. It reports that the May 28 vote demanded Lino step down, that he refused, that he was placed on leave July 30, and specifically states that Pecos terminated him on the day Alderete-Ferrini was appointed interim manager.
