Bernalillo County got something of a government makeover on the first day of the new year.
Ten officials were sworn into office during a noon ceremony at the county headquarters, including two new commissioners, a sheriff and an assessor.
The two new commissioners — both Democrats — keep the five-person governing board leaning blue.
The new sheriff — Democrat John Allen, who has said he’s proud to be the first Black sheriff elected in the county — won his seat on a campaign that called for sheriff’s office reform. He’s also said he was previously pushed out of the office for disagreeing with now-former sheriff Manual Gonzales.
All together, the officials sworn in on Sunday were:
Barbara Baca — District 1 commissioner
Eric Olivas — District 5 commissioner
John Allen — sheriff
Damian Lara — assessor
Donna Gonzales — deputy assessor
Karen Montaño — deputy assessor
Cristy Carbón-Gaul — probate court judge
Johann Jareno — undersheriff
Aaron Williamson — undersheriff
Hollie Anderson — sheriff’s office major
