Routt County welcomes new clerk and recorder
Retiring Clerk Kim Bonner had recommended Jenny Thomas for position
Dylan Anderson/Steamboat Pilot & Today
Jenny Thomas was sworn in as Routt County Clerk and Recorder on Monday, Jan. 3, taking over for longtime clerk Kim Bonner, who retired in December.
The Routt County Board of Commissioners appointed Thomas to the role last week, following Bonner’s recommendation, and 14th District Judge Michael O’Hara administered Thomas’ oath of office Monday, Jan. 3.
“I’m passionate about what we do in this office,” Thomas said. “I’m constantly learning, which is perfect for this job, because things are constantly changing.”
The clerk and recorder’s office includes a variety of record keeping, such as liquor, marriage and civil union licenses, birth and death certificates, vehicle titling and registration, and running the county’s elections. Bonner said elections are one place where Thomas has shined.
“She had to jump into the elections position when we had our former elections manager just up and quit in 2016. She showed that election what she was made of,” Bonner said.
Thomas has been in the clerk’s office for nearly nine years and most recently served as chief deputy clerk, the position from which she led last November’s election.
Though her daughter teased Thomas that no one knows what her new job actually does, Thomas said the clerk’s office performs some of the most important functions in county government.
Clerk and recorder is an elected position, and Thomas will serve the remainder of Bonner’s term, which ends in January 2023.
Thomas said she intends to run unaffiliated in November’s election. Bonner ran unaffiliated, as well, after withdrawing her Democratic Party affiliation ahead of the 2020 election.
Rather than planning a campaign, Thomas said she is more worried about the work of the office, starting with finalizing new voting precincts, which commissioners will consider Tuesday, Jan. 4.
“I just focus on what is in front of me,” Thomas said. “As far as running for re-election next year, that’s not really at the forefront of my mind.”
To reach Dylan Anderson, call 970-871-4247 or email danderson@SteamboatPilot.com.
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