Nine appointed to county election task force

Four Democrats, four Republicans and an independent with an interesting past have been appointed to Doña Ana County’s task force to study problems with the primary election.

Commissioners appointed the members during Tuesday’s meeting. The task force becomes official a day after the apparent firing of the county’s elections supervisor, Mari Langford. Chief Deputy Clerk Cecilia Madrid will serve in that capacity for now, and will assist the task force, while also settling the office after its move to the new building and preparing for the November general election.

The county clerk’s office has been under fire since the primary election earlier this month. Though there were fewer problems than in past elections, there were still issues with polling places and workers.

The task force is assigned to examine everything from pre-election planning to post-election reporting and recommend changes to the commission. The commission can’t force the changes on Clerk Rita Torres, who is elected, but does control her budget.

I believe Torres tried to assert her office’s independence at Tuesday’s meeting, but much of what she said wasn’t understood by many in attendance, including me.

“I can agree very well with everybody,” Torres said, “but I am the one that’s going to decide.”

Judy Baker, an active Democrat and poll worker who is also a revenue agent for the IRS, was one of those appointed to the task force.

“I know how difficult it is, and what a task they have before them,” she said.

The appointees include Felicia Ybarra, who works at New Mexico State University as the director of presidential events and is a former student regent. She was appointed to the position by Gov. Bill Richardson several years ago after she switched parties from Democrat to independent to be eligible (no more than three members of the board can be from the same party).

Because he didn’t like some of her votes, Richardson later tried to remove Ybarra from the board, using the signed, undated resignation letter he required Ybarra and all other appointees at the time to sign before being appointed. Ybarra stood up to the governor and, with the aid of many, including Republican Sen. Rod Adair and Attorney General Patricia Madrid, a Democrat, convinced the governor to back off.

Madrid later declared the resignation letters illegal.

Ybarra has remained an independent and should bring an interesting perspective to the task force. I’m glad to have Ybarra and another young person, Republican David Lutz, on this committee. More young people should be involved in the political system.

Here’s a full list of members:

Democrats

• Melinda Whitley, county party chair

• Lynn Ellins, chair of Southern New Mexico Common Cause

• Judy Baker

• Vicki Harder, a poll worker in the Santa Teresa area

Republicans

• Sid Goddard, county party chair

• Connie Lee, president of the League of Women Voters of Las Cruces

• David Lutz

• Maria Silva Sutton, a former state representative candidate and poll worker

Independent