Doña Ana County Clerk-elect Scott Krahling says current County Clerk Lynn Ellins will stay on board in the office after Jan. 1 as chief deputy clerk, the job Krahling currently holds.
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Scott Krahling
“I can think of no reason to break up this team, and I’m grateful that he’s willing to stay,” Krahling said in a news release. “There is simply no one else more qualified to be my chief deputy than my friend and colleague Lynn Ellins.”
Ellins, a Democrat, is a former chief deputy secretary of state in Colorado. He retired in New Mexico and joined the staff at the Doña Ana County Clerk’s Office in 2006 as elections supervisor after serving on a task force aimed at helping improve the integrity of elections. He was elected clerk in 2008 and re-elected in 2012. Term limits prohibited him from running again this year.
“People respect Lynn for his integrity, intelligence and institutional knowledge,” Krahling said. “Together, we managed the most successful election in Doña Ana County’s history. The future of the office remains in competent hands.”
Ellins hired Krahling, a former county commissioner and a Democrat, to be the office’s elections supervisor in 2013. Krahling became chief deputy clerk in 2014. He defeated Republican Maria E. Rodriguez in the race to be county clerk last month.
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Lynn Ellins
“With the upcoming school board elections on Feb 7, this will be a smooth transition for the both of us,” Krahling said. Candidate filing date for the school board elections is Dec. 20, and the registration deadline is Jan. 10. Early voting begins Jan. 13 at the Doña Ana County Government Center.
Winners in the county from the Nov. 8 election, including Krahling, will be sworn in at a Dec. 29 ceremony in the Commission Chambers at the Doña Ana County Government Center. Chief Third Judicial District Judge Fernando Macias will administer the oaths of office. Their terms will begin Jan. 1.