County officials take oath of office

A new Quay County sheriff, a new commissioner and other county officials were sworn into office during a brief ceremony last Tuesday in the county commission chambers.

The first to take the oath of office from County Clerk Ellen White was sheriff-elect Dennis Garcia, who won his Republican primary in June and was unopposed during the November general election.

He replaces previous Republican sheriff Russell Shafer, who was term-limited and takes over Garcia's previous position as undersheriff.

Between photographs and handshakes from well-wishers in the courthouse hallway after the ceremony, Garcia reflected on his time as sheriff finally arriving.

"I'm nervous, of course, but excited," Garcia said.

He said the department is in a good place.

"Our team is pretty well jelled," he said. "We're going to keep going. I think we've done a good job over the past few years. We've got two recruits who just came back from the academy that are certified. Everyone is the office is certified. We're considered full-staffed for us. We can get out, do some operations and be amongst the community. Being in the community is one of our biggest goals right now."

Shafer said he asked Garcia to be his undersheriff when he first ran for sheriff in 2014, then they would seek to switch roles once Shafer reached his two-term limit.

"We said we'd do our best to tie this office up for 16 years," Shafer said. "It's not 16 yet, but we'll do our best for 12."

Though Shafer now will be a subordinate, he insisted there won't be any friction with his former undersheriff.

"To pass it along with the same ideals that we had, it's a relief in some ways," Shafer said. "We're going to lean on each other for the same objects and mission goals that we have. I'm going to push him forward to be the best sheriff he can in this part of the state."

White said Garcia actually took the oath of office on Dec. 30, with it officially taking effect on Jan. 1, in case Garcia was called away from the Tuesday swearing-in ceremony because of an emergency.

Another who took the oath of office was District 3 Commissioner Brian Fortner, who won a five-way race in the GOP primary and breezed to victory in the November general election.

Fortner, a retired schoolteacher, broadcaster and rancher from rural Tucumcari, replaces Franklin McCasland, who was term-limited and had completed a total of 16 years with the commission.

"I'm still in a little bit of shock I'm doing this," Fortner said after the ceremony. "But I'm looking forward to it. I'm excited."

Fortner's first meeting as commissioner was Monday, but he noted he already has attended more than a dozen of its meetings after filing as a candidate.

"Franklin was giving me a hard time about that," Fortner laughed. "He thinks I have the record for a person coming in to attend the most meetings.

"People were asking why I came to so many. It kind of like when I coached: I was scouting it."

Others taking the oath of office Tuesday were County Assessor Janie Hoffman and three of her office aides, Probate Judge Chris Wilson, plus five deputies and one administrative assistant from the sheriff's office.