Maggie Toulouse Oliver will be sworn in as secretary of state on Dec. 9 and will immediately take office.
Courtesy photo
Maggie Toulouse Oliver
“Thank you to the people of New Mexico for placing their faith and trust in me,” Oliver said in a news release announcing the transition. “Now begins the hard work of enacting important reforms that will strengthen transparency and accountability at all levels of government and ensure trust in our political process.”
Most candidates who won elections on Nov. 8 will be sworn into office in early January. But this year the situation with the secretary of state was different. Gov. Susana Martinez appointed Albuquerque City Councilor Brad Winter, a Republican, to be secretary of state in December 2015 after the resignation of Dianna Duran, who was convicted of using campaign funds for personal use.
Winter was serving until voters had the chance to select a replacement for Duran earlier this month. Oliver, a Democrat, defeated Republican Nora Espinoza in the election and will serve the remainder of Duran’s term, which ends on Dec. 31, 2018.
Oliver will be sworn in at 4 p.m. on Dec. 9, the news release states.
Winter, whose office ran smooth primary and general elections this year, thanked the governor for giving him the opportunity to serve.
“I hope I made a positive difference during my short time,” Winter said. “Some of the accomplishments that were made include online voter registration, expanded online services in our corporations bureau, a more transparent campaign reporting system and a successful primary and general election.”
Martinez, in the news release, praised Winter, saying he “oversaw the fair electoral process that New Mexicans expect and deserve.”
“I’m grateful for his willingness to serve, and appreciate the integrity and dedication he brought to the job every single day,” she said.