DOÑA ANA COUNTY ELECTION REVIEW PANEL

AUGUST 3, 2006

 Attending: All members present.  María Silva-Sutton, Lynn Ellins, Co-Chairs; Judy Baker, Sid Goddard, Vicki Harder, Connie Lee, David Lutz, Melinda Whitley, Felicia Ybarra. Guest:  Bob Hearn, Volunteer  Secretary.

 The Panel approved the minutes from meetings of July 6, 13, 20 and 27.

The Chairs thanked Bob Hearn for his thorough work in collating the comments/suggestions from the first public meeting on July 22.

 In a general discussion about the employee interviews conducted in the Elections Bureau and County Clerk’s office to date, the Panel Members essentially were reporting verbally to each other.  This reporting consumed the better part of an hour.  Some of the interviews (like the one with City Clerk Shirley Clark) had taken place just hours before the meeting, so none of the reports are in writing yet.  Because of the sensitive nature of these employee testimonies, the Chairs commented that writing them up for publication would be premature and requested that notes not be taken at this point.  Each team of interviewers will put its impressions and findings in writing for the final report in September.

Arrangements were made for the employee interviews to be completed before next week’s meeting (August 10).

 Vicky Harder has tried to contact County Clerks in Sandoval and Santa Fe Counties to arrange for visits by some Panel Members to those offices.  She will notify other Panel Members of potential travel dates on Monday.  Since the Commissioners did not designate any funds to support the Panel’s investigation, members will travel at their own expense, probably car-pooling.

Panel Members reviewed arrangements for and forms to be used for the August 5 meeting in Sunland Park.

Johnnie R. Aldrich

LWV of Greater Las Cruces