{"id":3005,"date":"2008-03-18T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-03-18T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2008\/03\/county-elections-supervisor-files-to-run-for-clerk\/"},"modified":"2008-03-18T14:00:00","modified_gmt":"2008-03-18T20:00:00","slug":"county-elections-supervisor-files-to-run-for-clerk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2008\/03\/county-elections-supervisor-files-to-run-for-clerk\/","title":{"rendered":"County elections supervisor files to run for clerk"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Citing concerns about the health of Do\u00f1a Ana County Clerk Rita Torres<\/a>, the county\u2019s elections supervisor, Lynn Ellins, filed today to run against her in the Democratic primary for clerk. <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cThis was not a decision easily arrived at, as it puts me in opposition to County Clerk Rita Torres, for whom I have the utmost respect and affection,\u201d Ellins said in a news release. \u201cHowever, many of us are concerned about her health and stamina and her ability to successfully complete what promises to be a long general election campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Ellins said he decided to run \u201cat the urging of many Do\u00f1a<\/st1:placename> Ana<\/st1:placename> County<\/st1:placename><\/st1:place> citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Ellins, an attorney, is a former committee counsel to the New York State Legislature, a former Regent for the University<\/st1:placetype> of Colorado<\/st1:placename> and a former Deputy Secretary of State in Colorado<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>. Torres hired him in 2006 to clean up elections in the county, which had a history of problems but has had smooth elections since he took over. Democrats and Republicans alike have praised the elections staff, under Ellins\u2019 leadership, for professionalism and competence.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cThe need for the highest level of integrity and professional service in the County<\/st1:placetype> Clerk<\/st1:placename><\/st1:place>\u2019s Office is the reason I decided to seek the position myself,\u201d Ellins said. \u201cIn my current position as the county\u2019s supervisor of the Bureau of Elections, I have established high standards to guarantee a clean and transparent electoral process, and my office has worked with strict impartiality in our service to all parties, candidates and citizens. The County<\/st1:placetype> Clerk<\/st1:placename><\/st1:place>\u2019s Office as a whole must maintain that same level of impartiality and competence in coming years.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

As I reported recently<\/a>, many have expressed concerns about Torres\u2019 health in recent years, and a number of Democrats expressed shock when she began telling them weeks ago that she was going to seek another term.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\n

\n

Torres, who says her health isn\u2019t a concern, filed to run for clerk earlier today. In addition to Torres and Ellins, two other Democrats have filed to run: former Mesilla Town Clerk Yolanda Lucero, who had previously announced her run, and Martha Lucero, another employee of the clerk\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Filing continues until 5 p.m. today.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Ellins cited his experience in saying he understands the role and function of the clerk\u2019s office and the need for professional standards. He said he would, as clerk, \u201ccontinue the hard work necessary to achieve the modernization of the office, and seek innovative ways in which to fund this activity.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cFinally, as Bureau of Elections supervisor, my staff and I have always treated people who sought the bureau\u2019s services with fairness, courtesy and respect,\u201d Ellins said. \u201cAs county clerk, I promise no less.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Citing concerns about the health of Do\u00f1a Ana County Clerk Rita Torres, the county\u2019s elections supervisor, Lynn Ellins, filed today to run against her in the Democratic primary for clerk. \u201cThis was not a decision easily arrived at, as it puts me in opposition to County Clerk Rita Torres, for whom I have the utmost […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3005\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}