He dropped off his city-issued vehicle, which the council effectively took away at last week's meeting. The Rio Rancho City Council unanimously passed a resolution June 13 to suspend Jackson's in-state travel, out-of-state travel, and "other costs" budgets.

Jackson was in Indianapolis June 5 to 8 on city business, and he was scheduled to be in Taos from June 13 to 16 for a Leadership New Mexico graduation.

In the interim, he was unavailable to city staff, councilors and the media. Although Jackson was in the office Monday, he said he did not have time to answer questions.

John D'Amato, Jackson's attorney, said the city could blame him for Jackson's silence.

D'Amato said he advised Jackson to not make any public comments. Jackson will address the public in a few weeks, he said.

Jackson is back on the road this week, this time for a mayors' conference in Los Angeles.

The conference, which goes from June 22 to 26, includes speeches from Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gov. Bill Richardson.

The city paid for the Taos and Indianapolis trips, but Deputy Mayor Mike Williams said it would not pay for Jackson to go to the Los Angeles conference.

City staff and the councilors have to pick up the slack in Jackson's absence.

Williams said he had to keep his schedule open for the last few weeks because Jackson hasn't been around to do his job.

"If there's a ribbon cutting or speech that needs to be done or something to that effect, that's the mayor's job," he said. "If they can't get a hold of him, they call me."

The city is prepared to have either Jackson or Williams run its July 4 celebration because there's a lot of uncertainty about who will be there, he said.

"Basically, what they're trying to do is cover themselves," he said.

City staff has to work hard to make up for Jackson's absence, Williams said.

"It's time consuming," he said. "It keeps them from doing other things."

Williams said he has put in a lot of extra hours as well.

"There's no way I could take on a full-time job right now and be able to serve in this capacity," he said.

City Manager Jim Payne said Jackson's absence hasn't affected the city's operations.

Payne started at the beginning of June, so he's yet to work with Jackson at city hall.

"I don't know what I'm missing," he said.

Payne said there were a few things he needed Jackson to approve during the last couple weeks, such as the appointment of Jim Tobin to director of the Fire and Rescue Services Department.

However, Payne said he was able to get done what he needed to get done.

The position of mayor is important, but there are many people who work hard to keep the city running, Payne said.

It doesn't matter whether Jackson remains or goes, because the city government fulfills its responsibilities, Payne said.

"It's my job to make sure the organization continues to function, whether he is here as an individual or not. The position is different from the individual," he said. "We, as a staff, need to make sure we continue to do the job."

Williams said it would be a lot easier to get the job done once the Jackson situation is resolved.

"The sooner this gets over the better," he said.

Williams said Jackson cannot run the city efficiently and needs to get out of the way.

"Kevin needs to step down," he said. "He doesn't have the public trust anymore."

Although the council will do what it can to get a handle on Jackson, the governing body is limited, Williams said.

"We're following a charter and taking what action we can take," he said. "There's nothing we can do. He is the mayor. He's got limited capabilities operating as the mayor since we passed that resolution."

In addition to the suspended travel budget, the resolution included a provision to censure the mayor and a vote of no confidence in him, which are symbolic actions because the council has no direct power over the mayor.

Councilor Delma Petrullo said Jackson's absence didn't make her job easier, but she still gets it done.

"I've continued to go on with my projects," she said. "Staff is available to me."

The mayor is supposed to approve city board and commission members, but Petrullo said she was able to gain approval through the city clerk's office.

"It's just time used where I'd rather be using it elsewhere," she said.

Petrullo said Jackson's elusive behavior aggravates the situation regarding misuse of city funds.

"I don't know if it's character or what, but it grows 'curiouser and curiouser' every day," she said, quoting Alice in Wonderland.

While the mayor plays a vital role, city government does not depend on him, Payne said.

"There are legal and realistic reasons for having the position," he said. "The reality of it is the operation of the city goes on day to day."/OBSERVER STAFF REPORTER