SAGUACHE — Interim Saguache County Clerk and Recorder Trish Gilbert has announced she will run for election as the county’s clerk and recorder.

Gilbert was appointed last month to this position by the Saguache Board of County Commissioners after former Clerk Carla Gomez retired in early January.

The clerk and recorder’s office is responsible for the custody and preservation of all documents received for recording; motor vehicle transactions such as titling and registration; elections; liquor licenses; marriage licenses and map scanning, to name a few daily operations.

“One of my goals for 2018 was to offer online motor vehicle registration renewals,” Gilbert said. That service went live on Jan. 21.

Another goal related to the Motor Vehicle Department is to process exempt military plates. “We will go live with this service in February or March,” Gilbert advised. “All the processing for that service will take place in our office; however, the plates will still be issued by the state.”

Gilbert says she is currently negotiating with the state and the board of county commissioners to reinstate driver license renewals. She estimates this process will take six to eight months.

“We are bracing for major changes this year from mailing primary ballots to unaffiliated voters for the first time ever as well as revamping the motor vehicle operations,” Gilbert commented.

She is certified in elections and trained on the new Dominion Voting System that is in place in most counties in the state. Gilbert said she also is urging schools to register students to vote and get involved in the community they are about become part of.

She commends her team members Jane, Desiree and Ben for their dedication and expertise, adding “they are highly valued. It is unusual to have all the people in one office be so efficient. Best of all, we ALL care. We care about this great state; we care about this beautiful county; we care about our citizens; we care about each other, and we care about the direction the Saguache county clerk and recorder’s office is headed.”

“My husband Joe and I came to Saguache County in 2000,” Gilbert noted. “We have eight children — six boys and two girls. All are out of the ‘nest.’ Whew! We like outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, horseback riding and hiking. Saguache County will be our home until our names are chiseled in stone.”

Gilbert has worked in the clerk and recorder’s office for two years prior to being appointed clerk. Before that she worked in county government for 18 years and has other related experience; she was office manager for two family-owned businesses to include payroll and accounts payable; she worked at the post office, which is much more than putting a stamp on an envelope; she served as the director of the Saguache County Museum and is currently a board member and she also worked as an assistant manager for a local store.  

“I believe my skills in diversity promote creativity, productivity and growth and enable a broadening of existing concepts,” Gilbert explained. “I note several areas where the clerk’s areas of emphasis and my areas of expertise overlap.”  

Gilbert also has volunteered as a 4-H leader, a political committee chairperson and a delegate to the national convention, a community club officer, the National Australian Cattle Dog Club of America treasurer, a volunteer firefighter, a rodeo committee member, a member of Colorado Association of Permit Technicians, Inc., a member of Saguache County Farm Bureau Board of Directors, and is a current member of the Colorado County Clerk’s Association.

“Bottom line – I will do whatever it takes to get the job done!,” Gilbert concluded. “I would sincerely appreciate your support for the office of Saguache County Clerk and Recorder.”