Published: September 05, 2008 09:58 am            

Elections official resigns

Johnson County Elections Administrator Cheri Hawkins announced her resignation Tuesday.

She will remain on the job until Sept. 12, she said.

Hawkins said she plans to move out of the area so she can spend more time with her family. Hawkins was appointed to the position in 2006, shortly after the previous administrator, Cheri Haley, resigned.

Assistant Administrator Patty Bourgeois will fill Hawkins’ place until a permanent replacement can be found, said County Clerk Curtis Douglas. The county election committee — consisting of the county judge, county clerk, county tax collector-assessor and the county chairs of both the Republican and Democratic parties — accepted Hawkins’ resignation during a meeting Tuesday. The committee has posted the job opening and is actively seeking applicants, Douglas said.

Most on the committee said they are confident the remaining elections office staff can handle the challenge of the November elections.

“I think we’ll be OK,” said John Fidler, Republican Party chairman. “A resignation this close to an election might be a problem in a smaller county, but I have full faith in the staff here.”

Fidler and other committee members said much of the work, such as ordering ballots and supplies, has already been taken care of.

“It would be best if she could stay through November,” Douglas said. “But the rest of the people there are very capable and know what they’re doing. I don’t really foresee any problems.”

Gayle Ledbetter, Democratic Party chairwoman, agreed, with some reservations.

“We have confident people who have done everything to get the mechanics in line for November,” Ledbetter said. “But I do think, turnout wise, this is going to be a huge election so there probably will be some issues to pop up here and there. I think they need to get some more people to work the election, especially Spanish speakers.”

The office recently hired another worker, said County Judge Roger Harmon, which should help matters. County commissioners John Matthews and Don Beeson, neither of whom are up for election this year, have agreed to lend their workers to help move voting machines to needed locations.

“I don’t know if it will be difficult, but it certainly does concern me to lose such a valuable person this soon before the election,” Harmon said. “But Patty’s more than capable, and we’re all just going to pull together as a team and do what it takes to get it done.”

Hawkins said she has no doubt Bourgeois will be able to assume the duties of overseeing an election.

“Oh yeah,” Hawkins said. “The entire staff here is just great and wonderful and Patty’s been great, too. I couldn’t have done it without her and I know she’ll do a great job.”

Although the election is looming, Harmon said he’d prefer to wait until after November to hire a replacement.

“Right now, I’m not in too big a hurry to hire someone,” Harmon said. “Not unless that exact, right person happens to come in. Otherwise, I think we need to take our time, deal with the election and make sure we get a good, qualified person.”

        

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