Innovative registrar of voters resigns

Clark County Registrar of Voters Kathryn Ferguson punched a gaping hole in the county's Election Department this week when she announced she is leaving in March to take a job in Santa Clara, Calif.

Her departure, just three months before municipal primary elections, comes after Clark County's first flawless election using technologically advanced voting machines that Ferguson introduced to the department.

"This is a surprise to commissioners," county spokesman Tom Warden said Thursday. "She's talked about moving to a place that is lower key. She goes out a winner."

Ferguson's most notable accomplishments are tossing out an antiquated voting system and bringing in the latest technology and instituting a successful early voting program.

Ferguson is out of town, but her fellow county workers will confirm her early years in Clark County were not easy.

When the county's new computerized voting system was brought in, throngs of critics filled the commission chambers and claimed the new equipment would eliminate paper trails and allow officials to tamper with votes.

The new system was further criticized when a shortage of about 100 voting machines led to long lines at polls during the 1996 elections

"There were a few bumps in the road, but she got it done," Warden said.

County manager Dale Askew said he was surprised when Ferguson asked him last week if he would be a reference for her new job in the San Francisco Bay Area. He said her departure might have been anticipated had she left during the early turmoil-filled years of the new system.

Askew said one of her many attributes is that she overcame the criticism.

"She was committed to this and she was committed to the commissioners and me," Askew said. "She said she would stick it out until the transition was finished and successful. She lived up to her word."

Ferguson was hired in 1993 after a county-appointed citizens committee scoured the country for the perfect candidate. That process is unlikely to be repeated with Askew's preference to hire within the organization.

Askew said he has not determined how the county will go about recruiting a replacement, but said Ferguson has recommended one of her top managers, Larry Lomax.

With Ferguson leaving March 4 and the municipal elections scheduled for June, the county has little time to search for a replacement. Askew said a new registrar likely will be hired next week so the county will be prepared for the upcoming election.

"That would cause you concern normally, but Kathryn has assured me her team in place is qualified," Askew said.

"If we are to have a new management team, I would like to have them in place for this election because you're dealing with an election about half the size of last year's. I guess I'm trying to look for a silver lining here."

Offers of a pay raise from Ferguson's $108,000 a year salary didn't change the registrar's mind. County officials said Ferguson's six-year stint will be remembered for her successes rather than the flaws.

The state's first early voting program was Ferguson's priority when she arrived from San Antonio. She combined efforts with Assemblywoman Gene Segerblom to author and introduce the early voting bill in 1993.

Clark County was the first jurisdiction in the country to couple early voting with a computerized voting system. The combination was deemed a success when the final tally during the 1998 general election was completed less than 2 1/2 hours after polls closed.

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