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Longtime Garfield County clerk’s office employee Jackie Harmon bids for election as Clerk and Recorder

Garfield County Clerk and Recorder candidate, Jackie Harmon.
Courtesy photo

A veteran of the Garfield County Clerk and Recorder’s Office for 20 years, Jackie Harmon looks to replace her longtime boss, Jean Alberico, who is retiring after this year.

Harmon filed last week as a Republican candidate for the open position, and at this point heading into the county party assemblies this weekend is the only candidate for the job.

In addition to serving as the chief elections official for the county, the Clerk and Recorder handles motor vehicle registration and titling, real estate transactions, marriage licenses, birth and death records, and is the recorder for the Board of County Commissioners.



Harmon, of Silt, has been branch manager for the Rifle annex of the Clerk and Recorder’s Office for 12 years. She celebrated 20 years with the office in June 2021.

She has worked under two county clerks, Alberico, a Democrat who formerly managed the Rifle office, and Alberico’s longtime predecessor as the elected Clerk and Recorder, Mildred Alsdorf, a Republican.



Prior to her public service career in Garfield County, Harmon worked for former Pitkin County Clerk and Recorder Sylvia Davis from 1994-98.

In-between, she and her husband Billy raised three children.

“The county was stable employment, provided insurance and with weekends off accommodated a mom of three,” Harmon said, adding she’s logged a lot of hours alongside Alberico through a lot of changes on the elections front over the past decade.

The Clerk and Recorder’s job in particular necessitates a smooth transition whenever someone retires, she said.

“We have a good team with a lot of experience, and I just look to build on that and provide the team with the tools they need to do the job successfully,” she said.

Establishing a working relationship with the county commissioners and Colorado’s elected Secretary of State to make sure elections are run smoothly and securely is also crucial, Harmon said.

“A lot of it is making sure we have what we need from the commissioners or the Secretary of State’s Office to do the job confidently on behalf of the county and its citizens,” she said. “I’ve prepared myself, and Jean has a lot of knowledge and respect in the community, so I imagine I will lean on her and the other senior staff a lot in this transition.”

At this point, the only county office that looks to be contested come the Nov. 8 general election is the District 1 County Commissioner seat, for which incumbent Republican Tom Jankovsky and Democrat Ryan Gordon are seeking election.

Incumbent Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario, Coroner Robert Glassmire, Treasurer Carrie Couey and Assessor Jim Yellico, all Republicans, have filed for reelection and so far are uncontested.

Senior Reporter/Managing Editor John Stroud can be reached at 970-384-9160 or jstroud@postindependent.com.


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