County clerk candidate questionnaires
May 2—Katharine Clark
City or area of primary residence: Santa Fe
Age: 42
Party affiliation: Lifelong Democrat
Educational background: Dual bachelor's degrees, University of California Berkeley: cognitive neuroscience and moral psychology; MBA with dual emphases in strategic management and public policy, human resources. NMSU Edge Certified County Clerk.
Occupation: Santa Fe County clerk
Political experience: Elected Young Dems chair, Santa Fe County, 2015-17; elected statewide Young Dems Vice Chair, 2015-17, Elected statewide party secretary, 2017-19, elected New Mexico Counties rep for Santa Fe County, 2023-present.
Relevant life experience: Military family, union member and rep (CWA-UPTE), 10 years political campaign experience, four years New Mexico Legislature experience, small business owner, 10+ years technologist and executive manager.
Have you ever been charged or convicted of a crime, including drunken driving? No.
Have you ever filed for bankruptcy or been involved in a bankruptcy proceeding, either personally or in business? No.
Have you ever been the subject of liens for unpaid taxes? Yes.
If yes, please explain. In 2000, my grandmother died in another state, so that state made a competing claim on a small inheritance. It was resolved in my favor.
What makes you a good candidate for county clerk? We live in a new era of elections. Rapid technological changes. New legislation. Evolving security threats. I have the experience as county clerk in this era. My 10+ years as a technologist and executive manager gave me the vital technical proficiency to manage today's complex clerk's office successfully. MIT ranks New Mexico as No. 1 in election administration up from 25th in 2020. Under my leadership, we've built a coalition of legislators, commissioners and community members with shared vision, earning awards and expanded resources for our constituents: a new operations building purchased by the commission, and over $2.5 million in capital outlay. I set policy at the state and national level, elected to the New Mexico Counties Board of Directors and invited member of NACO's FPIGA Election subcommittee. My team and I run a community-oriented, scandal-free, productive, innovative and accessible office.
During your term as county clerk, what changes did you implement to improve the office? As the current Santa Fe County clerk, my team and I have transformed our office with overdue changes to make it more accessible, including:
* Professionalized our workforce through continuing education and cross training.
* Cleared real estate and monthslong probate backlog.
* Enhanced customer service for working people and those who are differently abled by overhauling the previous non-ADA-compliant website and establishing an improved system of phone and email response.
* Digitized the remaining majority of real estate documents and originated a 24-hour self-serve online document portal with credit card payment.
* Expanded voter access by removing registration barriers, seamlessly implemented same-day voter registration, increased the number of polling sites and installed the most drop boxes per capita (and the only drive-up boxes). We were first to GPS track traveling ballots and launch a text-based absentee ballot tracking system for voters improving voting transparency.
* Established an easy-to-remember URL — SantaFe.vote — with improved voter information.
* Added a bilingual help desk during elections to handle the increased volume of calls.
* Created an outreach and communication program.
With improved procedures, operational efficiency and the hard work by our staff, the Santa Fe County Clerk's Office is now the first to report election results after the polls close.
What challenges face the County Clerk's Office today, and if elected, how will you address them? Our biggest challenge? Ensuring that our democratic process remains fair and equal. We must both make our office accessible and customer friendly while prioritizing the safety of our staff. We've had death threats. Staff have reported being followed, feeling unsafe. The FBI warns deadly fentanyl is being sent through the mail to election offices, so we should keep Narcan on hand. We now maintain a badged area to protect our staff, but with public research computers in the foyer, documents available online, better operational efficiency in elections, and better email and phone response, we've made the office even more accessible and user friendly and ensured democracy is protected. We believe absolutely in ensuring every vote counts and even bring curing forms to doors to make sure they do. We're also managing misinformation by establishing a youth mock election and community outreach program, social media presence and a communications strategy.
Geraldine Salazar
City or area of primary residence: Santa Fe
Age: 70
Party affiliation: Democratic Party
Educational background: Attended University of California at San Diego and graduated from the College of Santa Fe with an associate degree in community social services. Graduated from the University of New Mexico with a bachelor's degree in sociology: criminal justice, criminology and deviance.
Occupation: Retired former Santa Fe County clerk (2013-20).
Political experience: Santa Fe County clerk, 2013-20. Ability to manage political pressure, move quickly to implement government legal mandates, policies, rules, administrative requirements, and implement technological advancements without dismantling office and election operations.
Relevant life experience: New Mexico State University government course instructor; county clerk eight years, previously administrative assistant, public records request liaison, public information coordinator, recording clerk; associate real estate broker; outreach coordinator; office manager; fraud analysis.
Have you ever been charged or convicted of a crime, including drunken driving? No.
Have you ever filed for bankruptcy or been involved in a bankruptcy proceeding, either personally or in business? No.
Have you ever been the subject of liens for unpaid taxes? No.
What makes you a good candidate for county clerk? I am uniquely qualified for the position after serving eight years as the Santa Fe County clerk from 2013 to 2020. Prior to being elected twice for the position, I served almost five years as a recording clerk, public records request liaison, public information coordinator and administrative assistant to the county clerk. My skills in the administration of countywide elections, local elections, personnel management, budget, procurement, grant writing, training, outreach, public relations and years of public service enable me to manage a high volume operation/office effectively. I have expertise in handling complex problems without arousing hostility. I am a proven leader, collaborator and team player with a creative aptitude.
During your term as county clerk, what changes did you implement to improve the office? In Santa Fe County, along with my staff, implemented same-gender marriage licensing; updated all clerk's office forms and letters; established office decorum for County Commission agendas, dates, signatures, filing and to avoid missing official attachments; "new" New Mexico electronic voting machines; "new" voting convenience centers; historical list of "previous election results" webpage; joined with secretary of state and 32 New Mexico county clerks on the Electronic Registration Center's ERIC program; MegaStar plat records and voter registration storage; climate controlled storage for permanent record books; backed-up records film, backed-up records on Gold CDs; finalized indexing guide to fully index documents to streamline title companies and public record searches; provided to the public, contact information directly to all office managers on website; "new" Santa Fe County "Absentee Ballot Envelope Scanning System"; 2020 COVID-19 office and election health protocols; "new" New Mexico's 2020 election policy and management protocols; New Mexico's 2020 "all mail absentee ballot" mailing program during the COVID-19 pandemic; New Mexico's 2020 absentee ballot tracking system; and during my two terms (eight years) of office and before leaving, I updated/created job descriptions and positions to improve office operations, election security and voter confidence.
What challenges face the County Clerk's Office today, and if elected, how will you address them? Today's challenges: election security, voter confidence, staff morale, and customer service; and ensuring the new election warehouse is appropriately renovated, secure and operational. Finally, staff training, purchasing New Mexico approved election equipment, and adhering to all legal mandates of the entire office operations are today's challenges which I am highly qualified to manage fully with staff.
I will conduct a full assessment of all office operations. Meet with staff to listen to their perspectives on operational successes and needs and training requirements. For election security I will work with federal security experts, the Secretary of State's Office, election equipment vendors, county IT staff and other county departments. I will adhere to all federal and state election legal mandates to ensure free, fair and secure elections. Before leaving office, I updated/created job descriptions and positions to improve office operations, security and voter confidence; and I will evaluate their effectiveness.
