Top Douglas election official announces resignation

After one of the most tumultuous elections in Douglas County history, its chief election officer has tendered her resignation.

Clerk-Treasurer Kathy Lewis will resign effective Friday, according to Douglas County.

Lewis said Saturday that she is taking an accounting position with East Fork Fire Protection District.

"It's pretty exciting to be able to go back into accounting," Lewis, who works for the county Finance Department before being appointed clerk-treasurer in 2015.

She said the clerk-treasurer's job was very stressful, and more so during 2020 which combined the coronavirus outbreak and a contentious presidential election year.

"My staff was great and they worked so hard," she said, crediting Election Administrator Dena Dawson for her expertise during the election.

County commissioners are scheduled to discuss the resignation and perhaps act to fill the vacancy at their meeting on Thursday.

Lewis submitted a two-sentence letter to the county on Dec. 11 notifying the county of her decision

“It has been my honor to serve as Clerk/Treasurer and serve the people of Douglas County,” Lewis said.

Lewis is only the ninth person to have served in the office in 132 years.

She was selected by county commissioners to fill the seat Feb. 5, 2015, from a field of 10 candidates, after predecessor Ted Thran resigned in 2014.

As clerk, Lewis is the county’s chief elections officer. Her office also keeps the county’s official minutes and records and is responsible for tracking the county’s finances.

The Minden Republican was elected in the 2016 and again in 2018, where she won her first full four-year term.

Lewis, 49, has worked for Douglas County for more than 18 years and lived in the county for 22 years.

Conducting the 2020 election involved long hours and several contentious issues, including a tight county commission primary race and a petition drive that was found to be insufficient, and the general rancor over the presidential election.

The handling of the 2020 election came in for official praise from Douglas County commissioners, three of whom will leave office this month.

Lewis’ final act last week was to oversee the drawing of cards by two Skyland residents who tied for a fifth seat on the improvement district board.