City of Rio Rancho welcomes new clerk

The city of Rio Rancho Governing Body confirmed the appointment of Noel Davis-Westlake as its new city clerk at the March 28 meeting and began saying goodbye to current City Clerk Rebecca Martinez, who is retiring at the end of April.

Davis-Westlake boasts a wealth of experience in both the public and private sectors, including working for the state of New Mexico in a variety of capacities. Davis-Westlake holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration.

City Manager Matt Geisel nominated Davis-Westlake for the position.

According to the city of Rio Rancho, “the city clerk’s duties consist of, but are not limited to, the following: official custodian of public records; administers business registration process; serves as clerk to the Governing Body, responsible for the Governing Body's compliance with the Open Meetings Act; administer of municipal elections; and authenticates and records all ordinances, resolutions and municipal laws.”

The City Council voted 6-0 in favor of the appointment, and Davis-Westlake began her tenure on April 1.

“We are sad to see Rebecca leave us; she's just fantastic,” District 5 Councilor Karissa Culbreath said. “One of the things that we have the benefit of is that we have in our clerk's office an amazing team of people with lots of experience across the board. They provide such a solid foundation so that when Noel Davis-Westlake comes into this office, she will have the support from an amazing staff who will be able to guide her and support her. What I really just hope to see is a continuation of the history that has been defined in this office of excellence and integrity that this office has demonstrated, and I believe that we will see that continue.”

During the council meeting, Mayor Gregg Hull lauded Davis-Westlake's qualifications and expressed confidence in her ability to lead the clerk's office effectively.

“It was a pleasure meeting with Noel, and I think she's gonna do a great job,” Hull said. “I think she's got a passion and a drive, which is going to mirror the passion and drive that we see from Rebecca, and we got to talk about how important and what a key functional department the clerk's office is for the city.”

The confirmation of Davis-Westlake comes at a time of transition for the city as Martinez bids farewell. Before she leaves the position this month, Martinez welcomed Davis-Westlake to the team.

“We are thrilled that you're going to be coming on board so quickly,” Martinez said. “Council, Mayor, Governing Body, thank you so much for the kind words. I just wanted to highlight and express the importance of the clerk's office, and one of my biggest passions throughout my career has been really training up and working alongside clerks of all different levels, whether that's villages, towns, county clerks, as well, so hopefully, I'll be able to continue and hold the invocation of clerks across the state and that also extends to Miss Westlake. So thank you all for the kind words, and congratulations to you.”