ELECTION 2024 candidate column: Jennifer A. Taylor, Sandoval County treasurer

The past three years that I have been the Sandoval County treasurer have been about serving with passion and success with unmatched year-to-year collection rates and lucrative investment earnings for our county. My office has passed three consecutive audits with zero findings due to our transparency and attention to detail. These successes can be attributed to the strong leadership that I have provided the treasurer’s office and county. I have developed a team of high-functioning professionals that provide the very best customer service to our taxpayers and constituents. My leadership style welcomes members from the community as well as other local leaders to my office to speak with me about any questions or concerns. I have an open-door policy for the public as well as my staff.

As the Sandoval County treasurer, I have provided the public with 100% transparency on financial reporting of taxpayer funds. I have ensured that all monthly treasurer’s reports are recorded with our county clerk and posted on the county website in a timely manner. Since taking office in 2021, I am the first treasurer to make the monthly distribution reports available to the public on the county website. This report provides details of all funds being distributed back into the community. In my tenure, I have made the Sandoval County Investment Committee meeting open and fully transparent to be posted to the county website.

In addition to my statutory and fiduciary duties as treasurer, I have organized and deployed several outreach events for the community. My first outreach in 2021, allowed me to assist a multigenerational family in Bernalillo who needed a wheelchair ramp on their manufactured home. With the help of volunteers, we were able to construct a new ramp for the family. I also collaborated with other county elected officials during the wildfires in 2022 to assist in providing nonperishable food and personal hygiene items to all those impacted by the fires, including the first responders. My office has organized the annual Thanksgiving food and holiday toy drive beginning in 2021. The food drive serves needy families during the holidays and is distributed at the county fairgrounds during Thanksgiving. The toy drive serves the Navajo Nation Chapter Houses located within Sandoval County, which is Torreon, Counselor and Ojo Encino. I am dedicated to partnering with our Indigenous communities.

Record accomplishments include being the first elected official in New Mexico to implement the Junior County Treasurer Program. The program is designed to mentor young future leaders to learn about local government which targets the roles and responsibilities of the county treasurer.

Additionally, I have been appointed as a member of the Finance, Pension and Inner-Governmental Affairs Committee for the National Association of Counties. In 2021, I was unanimously voted the New Mexico Counties Treasurer’s Affiliate Secretary.

My goal for the next four years is to continue the record-breaking accomplishments of collecting, strategically investing, protecting, distributing and reporting of taxpayer funds while being an exemplary, ethical and documented public servant.