Realty rumors
Benefields deny accusations of improprieties

Century 21 real estate agent Karla Benefield leaves her office at the end of the work day Thursday on Aztec Avenue in Gallup. Benefield has been accused by other realtors in the area of using her husband's position to steer business to her. [Independent File Photo]

By Bill Donovan
Staff Writer

GALLUP — A couple of local real estate brokers have expressed concern that the city's economic development director, Glen Benefield, may be using his position to help his wife, who is in the real estate business herself.

Karla Benefield works for Century 21 and other brokers said having someone in her husband's position would give her a definite advantage because she would know before the others who was thinking of moving to Gallup and therefore could be the first one to pitch her company to newcomers.

But Glen Benefield said he knew this would be a potential problem even before he was hired and made it clear to his wife that the two would have to keep each other's business affairs private to make sure there was no conflict.

City Manager Eric Honeyfield said his office has received no complaints from any of the area real estate brokers about Benefield and most of the brokers that The Independent contacted said they had heard of no problems and felt Benefield was doing a good job in keeping his wife's business separate from his job of promoting the city.

One broker, who asked not to be identified at this time, questioned just how well the separation of business and city was going and said there has been talk of her company sending a letter to the city to complain. If this didn't resolve the problem, maybe a lawsuit would be necessary, the broker said.

Another broker said that while there have been no reports of any violations of ethics, the question has always been there because of the nature of the jobs the Benefields do. "It would be really a hard thing not to do it," the broker said, referring to the tendency to let slip a hint now and then about a prospective client.

No one has come out yet and listed any transaction that went to Karla Benefield with claims that this was the result of her relationship with her husband and she said Wednesday that no one will be able to because she has never got any of her clients because of her husband's job.

When Benefield was being considered for the job and city officials realized his wife was a real estate broker, Honeyfield said this concern was brought up and everyone was made aware that this was something that needed to be avoided at all costs.

And Glen Benefield said from the start the rule was made clear. "We can't discuss things," he said he told his wife.

This was a two-way street and he said he also realized that his wife couldn't talk to him about her business as well.

"You're not going to like this," he said he told her, "but in this area, you are going to be the last person on the totem pole."

And that's the way it has worked, he said.

"Whenever anyone has asked me about who they should contact for real estate, I tell them to go to realtor.com and get a list of the Realtors in town," he said.

Once, he said, one person he talked to said he needed to talk to the biggest commercial dealer in town and Glen Benefield said he referred them to Dan Frady at ReMax. Never once did he recommend to anyone he talked to on city business that they should contact his wife.

On two occasions, he added, people he was talking to mentioned his wife's name and said they already had a business relation with her and said they were pleased with the arrangement and wondered if they were related. On those two occasions, he said, he admitted he was but again did nothing to entice them in anyway to do anything because they were dealing with him.

Honeyfield said he has seen nothing to indicate Glen Benefield is the type of person to use his position for personal gain. Another broker in town said the same thing, adding that it's quite possible that having her husband in the position he is in may have hurt her chances and not improved them in getting new business.

The temptation to do something to help one's spouse is always out there but Honeyfield said that in the three years he has served as city manager, he can't remember one instance where any city employee has been accused of putting personal gain over their responsibility to the city.

Karla Benefield said she views this criticism coming from someone who is "jealous" of the success she has had over the years in the real estate marker here.

She said that if whoever is accusing her is serious, they don't have to go to the city government to get satisfaction. There is a real estate commission that handles complaints within the business and she said that if anyone has any complaints about her, they can go there.

"I have been in the real estate business for 20 or 21 years and I have been the number one person in my office for many of these years," she said. "And my husband has been with the city only for a year. Let them tell me what transaction they think I got because of my husband and I will be able to show just where I got the client."