Clerk and Recorder Regina O’Brien to leave office for new position on Jan. 4

Eagle County recently issued the following press release on Eagle County Clerk and Recorder Regina O’Brien stepping down from the position effective Jan. 4:

After eight years serving the public as the Eagle County Clerk and Recorder, Regina O’Brien will step down from the position, effective January 4, 2025. O’Brien will continue working for the county as part of the County Manager’s Office in a newly created position, Assistant to the County Manager. Stacey Jones, Chief Deputy Clerk & Recorder and a nine-year veteran of the office, will assume the duties of the Office until the Board of County Commissioners appoints a replacement.

O’Brien began her career in the Clerk and Recorder’s Office 11 years ago, joining as Chief Deputy Clerk and Recorder under Teak Simonton. She was appointed Clerk in 2016 and was successfully elected to office in 2018 and 2022. Her current four-year term of office began on January 10, 2023 and ends on January 12, 2027.  During her tenure, O’Brien and her team celebrated many accomplishments, including:

• Administering 15 successful ​Eagle County elections​, including two presidential elections and three elections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Implementing Colorado’s first-in-the-nation post-election Risk Limiting Audit (RLA) in 2017​, passing 1​4 consecutive RLAs.
• Increasing voter accessibility by installing 40% more 24-hour ballot drop boxes and opening four ​vote ​centers.
• Providing the Ballot Audit Review (BAR) tool, making ballot images and election records publicly available online for free.
• Initiating a free fraud-notification service for property owners, providing early warnings of potentially fraudulent document recordings.
• Bringing a vehicle registration renewal kiosk to Eagle County in ​November 2024 to expand service accessibility.
• Securing over $​400,000 in grant funding to enhance recording and election operations.

“Serving the people of Eagle County for the past eight years has been one of the greatest honors of my career,” said O’Brien. “I am incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished as a team. I’m excited to continue supporting Eagle County in my new role with the County Manager’s Office. I have complete confidence that Stacey Jones and our exceptional leadership team will carry on the work of the Clerk’s Office, and I look forward to supporting the new Clerk once appointed.”

“I am thrilled that Regina is joining our County Manager team,” said County Manager Jeff Shroll. “She has already built so many strong relationships throughout the county with her exceptional work as our County Clerk. Continuing collaboration with our partners from local, state and federal agencies will be a large part of the duties Regina will be performing in my office.”

The Clerk and Recorder is an elected position. When elected officials vacate office, the Board of County Commissioners appoints a qualified person to fill the vacancy until a successor is elected according to law. In this case, the appointed Clerk will serve from the date of appointment until the next general election in November 2026, at which time that individual will be eligible to run for the office if desired. The winner of the election will then fill out the remainder of the current term of the Clerk and Recorder, expiring January 12, 2027, and will also start a new four-year term on that date. Thereafter, the Clerk and Recorder would be required to run for office at intervals, as all elected county officials are required to do. The Board of County Commissioners intend to issue a subsequent news release providing further details about the process for selection of an appointee to fill the remainder of the current term of office.