{"id":620188,"date":"2018-08-29T13:28:27","date_gmt":"2018-08-29T19:28:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=620188"},"modified":"2018-08-30T10:35:09","modified_gmt":"2018-08-30T16:35:09","slug":"with-election-approaching-dona-ana-county-clerk-abruptly-resigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2018\/08\/with-election-approaching-dona-ana-county-clerk-abruptly-resigns\/","title":{"rendered":"With election approaching, Do\u00f1a Ana County clerk abruptly resigns"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Scott

Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/p>

Do\u00f1a Ana County Clerk Scott Krahling, shown here speaking with students at Chaparral High School about the importance of voting on April 30.<\/p><\/div>\n

Do\u00f1a Ana County Clerk Scott Krahling abruptly submitted his resignation on Wednesday, creating a leadership void in the clerk’s office less than two months before voting begins in the upcoming general election.<\/p>\n

The resignation of the county\u2019s top elections official is effective Sept. 7.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been an honor to serve the citizens of Do\u00f1a Ana County,\u201d Krahling wrote in the resignation letter<\/a> he submitted to Ben Rawson, chairman of the county commission. Krahling, a Democrat, gave no reason for his resignation.<\/p>\n

It will be up to the county commission to appoint someone to serve the remainder of Krahling’s term, which ends on Dec. 31, 2020. The commission is moving quickly to fill the job and allay concerns about the election. In a news release sent out after NMPolitics.net reported on Krahling’s resignation, the county said letters of interest must be received by its human resources office by 5 p.m. on Sept. 5.<\/p>\n

Applicants, who will be subject to background checks, should then attend the Sept. 11 commission meeting, where they’ll be given an opportunity to address commissioners, the release states. At that meeting, the commission will consider either\u00a0appointing someone to the job or setting up a process to select a new clerk, Rawson told NMPolitics.net.<\/p>\n

Rawson, in the news release, said he wanted to “assure the residents of Do\u00f1a Ana County that we are moving quickly and thoroughly to fill this important position.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThe focus of the commission will be to support the Clerk\u2019s Office in the execution of their important daily duties, as well as to ensure a successful outcome for the\u00a0Nov. 6\u00a0general election,” he said.<\/p>\n

Officials aren’t commenting on the reason for Krahling’s resignation, but the county attorney\u2019s office has been investigating a complaint involving Krahling and former Chief Deputy County Clerk Rose Ann Vasquez for months, NMPolitics.net has learned. While the details of the allegations in that complaint aren\u2019t known publicly, Krahling\u2019s resignation comes as a report on that investigation is being finalized.<\/p>\n

The county paid a private investigative firm nearly $2,800 earlier this year to look into the complaint. That company, Universal Investigation Services<\/a> of Albuquerque, submitted a report on its investigation to the county attorney\u2019s office in early March, according to an invoice<\/a> the firm sent the county that NMPolitics.net obtained through a public records request.<\/p>\n

NMPolitics.net also requested the investigator\u2019s report. The county refused to release it, citing attorney\/client privilege.<\/p>\n

In an interview conducted Wednesday morning before Krahling submitted his resignation, Rawson said the report hadn\u2019t yet been finalized but he expected it to be completed this week. He said he had seen a draft, but \u201cit would be premature of me to comment on the details.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rawson said he anticipated that the full commission would consider the findings in the report, potentially at its next meeting on Sept. 11. That, Rawson confirmed, is an indication that the investigation found something concerning about the behavior or actions of Krahling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do think there\u2019s reason to believe that we could be dealing with this on Sept. 11,\u201d Rawson said before Krahling submitted his resignation. Asked later Wednesday how Krahling\u2019s resignation would impact that, Rawson said he didn’t yet know.<\/p>\n

And asked if the allegations were serious enough that they might be referred to law enforcement, Rawson said, \u201cI think it\u2019s too soon to answer that question, but I look forward to reviewing the full report this week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reached after Krahling submitted his resignation, Commissioner Ramon Gonzalez also declined to discuss details.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes we do things that kind of, we don\u2019t know what we\u2019re doing at times,” Gonzalez said. “We get into it and we just don\u2019t see what we\u2019re up against until it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Krahling isn\u2019t sharing details about the complaint the county has been investigating either. \u201cRight now, we\u2019re not making any further comment,\u201d said his attorney, C.J. McElhinney of Las Cruces.<\/p>\n

Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver acknowledged in a statement released by her office that she has knowledge of the situation that led to Krahling’s resignation, but she didn’t disclose details. “Scott made the right decision for the office,” she said.<\/p>\n

Vasquez has not responded to requests for comment.<\/p>\n

Even after the investigative report is finalized and released to the commission, county spokesman Jess Williams said, “it may be protected — all or in part — by attorney\/client privilege.”\u00a0NMPolitics.net has filed additional records requests to try to learn more about the situation.<\/p>\n

Krahling, a former county commissioner, started working at the clerk\u2019s office on Jan. 13, 2013 as the elections supervisor and later became chief deputy clerk. He was elected county clerk in 2016 and started that job on Jan. 1, 2017. Krahling replaced Lynn Ellins, who he then hired as his chief deputy clerk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Vasquez started working in the clerk\u2019s office on Jan. 1, 2016 as a document technician. She was promoted to communications coordinator in 2017 and became chief deputy clerk on Jan. 22 of this year<\/a>, when Ellins retired.<\/p>\n

The investigation into Krahling and Vasquez began around the time Vasquez became second-in-command at the clerk\u2019s office. The private investigator interviewed several county employees about the complaint between Feb. 13 and 15, the invoice<\/a> states, including Krahling on Feb. 14 and Vasquez on Feb. 15. Several employees of the county\u2019s elections bureau were also interviewed.<\/p>\n

The investigator submitted the report to the county attorney\u2019s office for review on March 2. Vasquez\u2019s employment with the county ended on March 13, Williams said.<\/p>\n

As that investigative report neared completion in recent weeks, Krahling took a less public role, letting his new chief deputy clerk, Lindsey Bachman, become the public face of the office. Krahling hired Bachman in May<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bachman has handled most media interviews<\/a>\u00a0in recent weeks. She\u2019s attended some meetings instead of Krahling. And on the night of Las Cruces\u2019 property tax increase election last week<\/a>, it was Bachman who announced the results.<\/p>\n

In a news release that night, Bachman praised the employees in the clerk\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe success of this election is a direct result of the hard work and dedication of the Do\u00f1a Ana County Clerk\u2019s staff,\u201d Bachman said. \u201cThose qualities will also play a key role in the successful administration of the general election taking place this November.\u201d<\/p>\n

The clerk\u2019s office has a busy few months<\/a> coming up. The last day to register to vote in November\u2019s election is Oct. 9. Early and absentee voting begin that day as well. Nov. 6 is Election Day.<\/p>\n

Krahling\u2019s resignation may lead to questions about the office\u2019s ability to run the upcoming election, which includes open contests for governor and southern New Mexico\u2019s seat in the U.S. House in addition to other local and state races. While Bachman has not returned a call from NMPolitics.net seeking comment, Williams said county administration has confidence in the clerk’s office.<\/p>\n

“We have a good team and a lot of institutional knowledge remaining in that office, and a replacement strategy has already been agreed upon to provide leadership in advance of the elections,” Williams said.<\/p>\n

In addition, Toulouse Oliver pledged her support.<\/p>\n

“I have tremendous faith in the county staff and that their new county clerk will be well positioned to ensure a successful general election,” the secretary of state said. “My staff and I stand ready to help the Do\u00f1a Ana County Clerk\u2019s Office in any way necessary to ensure they conduct a safe and secure election.”<\/p>\n

Still,\u00a0the situation is likely to come as a blow to the office\u2019s reputation, which had improved substantially in recent years.<\/p>\n

Krahling had developed a reputation for integrity. He served one term on the county commission, from 2009-2012. He essentially voted himself out of office when he chose to support an independent panel\u2019s recommendations for reshaping commission boundaries that moved his home out of the district he represented.<\/p>\n

During his time in the clerk\u2019s office, Krahling was known publicly as a forward-thinking official who expanded the office\u2019s mission from simply running elections to also working to increase voter turnout and civic engagement<\/a>. The Santa Fe New Mexican recently called on other county clerks to follow Krahling\u2019s lead<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gonzalez praised Krahling on Wednesday for his efforts to increase voting, including “reaching out to our high schools, getting our kids registered to vote.”<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was on top of it and he was a go-getter and very dynamic,” Gonzalez said. “… He was such a good person.”<\/p>\n

Krahling was a leader of the push for election reform. He and others successfully lobbied for a policy change<\/a> approved by the state this year that consolidates most local elections into one<\/a>, large election held every other November. He helped convinced the Las Cruces City Council to join the consolidated elections<\/a>, and to implement ranked choice voting in the city<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But even before the investigation into Krahling and Vasquez, the clerk\u2019s office wasn\u2019t scandal-free under the leadership of Ellins and Krahling. In 2015, while Krahling was chief deputy clerk, four employees of the office were charged in a bi-national scam to cash fraudulently obtained federal tax refund checks. One employee stole personal information from the county\u2019s voter database, including Social Security Numbers. Three others were charged with notarizing documents needed to cash the checks.<\/p>\n

And a fifth employee was charged with changing her own payroll records to show a lower salary than she was actually paid so she could qualify for food stamps.<\/p>\n

With the office reeling from that scandal, Krahling, who was then a candidate for clerk, suspended his campaign<\/a> and said he was focusing on restoring trust in the office. At the time, he said he didn\u2019t know whether he would seek election after all. He later opted to continue his campaign, and he won.<\/p>\n

Even through that scandal, Ellins and Krahling developed a reputation for competence and fairness<\/a> \u2013 which was new for an office that, before Ellins came on board in 2006, was plagued by problems. A counting error<\/a> led New Mexico to initially wrongly declare George W. Bush the winner of the state\u2019s five electoral votes in 2000. And a former county clerk was convicted in 2003 of five felony violations<\/a> of the state\u2019s elections code.<\/p>\n

Gonzalez said Krahling will be missed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to wish him the best in everything he does,” Gonzalez said. “He\u2019ll bounce back again.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article has been updated with comments from Gonzalez, Rawson, Williams and Toulouse Oliver, and additional information and context. It has also been updated to state that applications for the clerk position are due by Sept. 5, not Sept. 10 as Rawson originally told NMPolitics.net.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Scott Krahling gave no reason for his resignation, but NMPolitics.net has learned that the county attorney\u2019s office has been investigating a complaint involving Krahling and former Chief Deputy County Clerk Rose Ann Vasquez for months.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":603213,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[2238,115,3687,3670],"class_list":["post-620188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-2018-election","tag-dona-ana-county","tag-rose-ann-vasquez","tag-scott-krahling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620188","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=620188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620188\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/603213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=620188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=620188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=620188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}