Los Alamos County Council and County staff honor outgoing Councilor Keith Lepsch and Council Chair Denise Derkacs during Tuesday night’s final meeting of 2024. From left, Councilor Randall Ryti, Melanee Hand, David Reagor, Lepsch, Derkacs, County Attorney Alvin Leaphart, County Manager Anne Laurent, Council Vice Chair Theresa Cull and Councilor Suzie Havemann. Courtesy/LAC

Outgoing Los Alamos County Clerk Naomi Maestas, at the podium, receives a standing ovation for her eight years as County Clerk during Tuesday’s council meeting. In total, Maestas has worked nearly 20 years for Los Alamos County. Courtesy/LAC

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

Tears, applause and words of gratitude were expressed during the Los Alamos County Council meeting Tuesday night, the final meeting of 2024, as council honored outgoing elected officials.

Newly elected Los Alamos County Clerk Michael Redondo kicked things off by congratulating outgoing Clerk Naomi Maestas.

“Naomi, on behalf of the staff, I would just like to thank you so much for all of your dedication, hard work and I know it is stressful dealing with elections, and we greatly appreciate everything you’ve done in the last eight years as County Clerk,” Redondo said.

Chief Deputy Clerk Tessa Jo Mascarenas also offered praise to Maestas.

“For the past eight years Naomi Maestas has served as our County Clerk and under her leadership this office has thrived and evolved to meet the needs of our citizens,” she said. “Naomi has been a steady and reliable presence, guiding the team with integrity and commitment to public service. Her work in streamlining processes, implementing new technologies and ensuring transparency and accuracy has set a high standard for the County Clerk’s Office that we hope to uphold moving forward. Her contributions over the years have left an indelible mark on our County and the system she put in place will benefit the community for years to come. On behalf of the entire team, and the community, we would like to thank Naomi for her eight years of service. Her leadership and her achievements will be remembered and celebrated for years to come and we promise to make her proud moving forward.”

Maestas tearfully thanked everyone for her almost 20 years of service with Los Alamos County.

“I wasn’t expecting all of this … I stand before you this evening with immense gratitude as I reflect on the recognition of my services as County Clerk,” she said. “Serving this County has been one of the greatest honors of my life and I am deeply moved by your acknowledgement of my work and dedication throughout my time in office, which has been close to 20 years. I guess time flies when you are having fun. In the eight years serving as County Clerk, I am fortunate to work alongside an incredible team and community. Together we have faced challenges, celebrated accomplishments and made strives in serving the people of this County with integrity and commitment. This recognition is not just for me, it’s a tribute to all those who supported me along the way – my family, my staff, my colleagues and you, the community. Your trust and collaboration have been the cornerstone of our shared successes. A special note of gratitude to my very, very, very, patient and supportive husband – I could not have done any of this without him. As my term comes to an end, I carry with me pride for what we achieved together and optimism for the future of this office. This recognition reinforces my belief that service to one’s community is a privilege and I will forever cherish the time I’ve had to contribute to the betterment of this amazing and unique county. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this meaningful honor. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have served as your County Clerk and I look forward to continue supporting this wonderful community in years ahead.”

Maestas isn’t the only one whose term in public office has come to an end; Council Chair Denise Derkacs and Councilor Keith Lepsch had their last meeting Tuesday night behind the dais.

Each councilor expressed their gratitude for their service and Vice Chair Theresa Cull presented each with a Nambe plaque.

“We have two outgoing councilors – Denise Derkacs and Keith Lepsch,” Cull said. “I certainly very much appreciate their time and commitment to this community and to the council and to the County. Keith, I know, has had a difficult time balancing his work life and family life and council and has done a great job doing that. Denise has spent many, many, many hours as chair for the last two years and I am sure previous to that as well … so it is my honor to present these plaques to them and hear what other councilors have to say. Thank you so much.”

“I have had the pleasure of working pretty closely with our chair since we have been going on these federal advocacy trips … really appreciate her dedication and all the work she does to get ready for meetings and (to) make sure everyone is heard and that we get through the meetings … I really appreciate all of Chair Derkacs’ service … and I am really impressed with how she has gone about being a councilor and I am really going to miss her on council,” Councilor Randall Ryti said. “For Councilor Lepsch … I’ve gotten to know a little bit better with some meetings and just appreciated the perspective we’ve gotten from Councilor Lepsch over the years …really appreciate you committing the time to serve us…”

Councilor Suzie Havemann offered a few behind-the-scenes insights about Derkacs and Lepsch.

“I will greatly miss Keith – not only has he been my neighbor up here on the dais but he is also my advocate for temperature control and seating comfort here in chambers. His ability to distill the essence of a conversation into its bottom line and to call the question so to speak will be missed along with his genuine kindness, appreciation of others and leading by example when it comes to seeing all sides of an issue in learning before judging. Thank you for serving our community, Keith.”

“I will miss Denise – as the dedicated council chair for the past two years, she has been a no drama, reliable and respectful leader and wow, does she work hard,” Havemann added. “I really don’t know how she does it. She seems to be everywhere while having a solid grasp of the issues at bay. The workload is intense, but Chair Derkacs has matched it with tenacity and stamina. I do have one regret, though, that we didn’t pull out every single handbook and report that has not been revamped in a while in order to leverage her amazing editing skills. No one can structure a sentence or properly place an apostrophe like our current chair. Maybe we can hire her back for special assignments. Denise, I thank you for your accomplishments and service in making Los Alamos County a better place to live and work.”

Councilor David Reagor said he will miss Derkacs and Lepsch and what they brought to council.

“I just want to say it has been a pleasure to serve with both of you – people with such high character and such pleasant demeanor,” he said. “It’s always been a wonderful time and I want to thank both of you for your wonderful behavior and how helpful you have been in making this place run smoothly. Thank you very much.”

Regarding the conclusion of his term, Lepsch said, “I would like to start by thanking you, Chair Derkacs. You have been wonderful to work with. Your knowledge about everything about the County is just quite amazing and I really appreciate how you shepherd along the meetings and always have so much knowledge to share. I’ve really enjoyed being on council. I think my favorite part was all the County staff that I got to meet and interact with and learn what they did. I think that we have really amazing staff and even more we have some really wonderful leaders in our County.”

Looking back on her time on council, Derkacs said, “It’s been an honor representing the residents of the County and working with fellow councilors and dedicated staff at Los Alamos County.”

Derkacs provided a lengthy list of accomplishments that council achieved during the past four years.

These accomplishments include:

• Hiring Steven Lynne as County Manager, and then proceeding to hire Anne Laurent as the newest County Manager;
• Approving downtown master plans for Los Alamos and White Rock;
• Approving a new nuisance code;
• Approving two new Metropolitan Redevelopment Areas for White Rock and Los Alamos;
• Approving an affordable housing plan, a climate action and a comprehensive health plan;
• Approving two broadband contracts;
• Completing the White Rock Water Resource Reclamation Facility;
• Constructing the Leisure Lagoon and Splash Pad;
• Completing improvements at the Los Alamos Ice Rink;
• Completing the underpass for the Canyon Rim Trail as well as trail extension;
• Completing the Urban Trail;
• Making road improvements to Trinity Drive, Canyon Road, 33^rd and 34^th Streets, DP Road, Finch Street and Sherwood Boulevard;
• Opening the Bluffs and Canyon Walk apartment complexes; and
• Approving the Hill Apartments.

“I think that’s quite a list of accomplishments and I haven’t touched on all of them,” Derkacs said. “So, I offer my best wishes to the next council in addressing the needs of the community and again restate that it’s been an honor representing the residents of the County, working with my fellow councilors and the dedicated staff in the County. Thank you very much.”

While Maestas, Derkacs and Lepsch wrapped up their terms on council, new faces will appear in 2025. In January, Redondo will begin his term as County Clerk while Ryn Herrmann and Beverly Neal-Clinton will start their terms as County Councilors.

Outgoing Councilor Keith Lepsch and Council Chair Denise Derkacs with their Nambe plaques given to them in honor of their service on council. Courtesy/LAC