Mayor appoints assistant to interim city clerk role
Cardenas has spent 16 years in the Clerk’s Office
Assistant City Clerk Geralyn Cardenas was appointed at a special meeting Monday as the city of Santa Fe’s interim city clerk while officials conduct a search to fill the position.
Previous City Clerk Kristine Bustos-Mihelcic left Friday and plans to take on a new role as communications director for the New Mexico Department of Transportation. She worked in city government for five years.
Cardenas is no stranger to what her new role entails — she’s been with the city for 16 years, all in the Clerk’s Office.
She was appointed to the interim role by Mayor Alan Webber, and her appointment was approved by four city councilors present at the special meeting: Michael Garcia, Jamie Cassutt, Chris Rivera and Carol Romero-Wirth.
Webber and the councilors thanked Cardenas for taking on the role as the city prepares for an election in just over a month, though much of the oversight for the election has shifted to the Santa Fe County Clerk’s Office.
A formal swearing-in for Cardenas will take place at a later date.
In response to a question from Garcia, City Manager John Blair said the city is reviewing the job description for the city clerk to see if it needs to be updated. After that, the job description will be posted publicly and candidates will be invited to apply.
The city clerk is a position appointed by the mayor, but Blair said city councilors will receive copies of the job posting after it is ready. He encouraged councilors to recommend candidates they believe would be good for the job.