Mary Herrera
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Mary Herrera is the current Democratic Secretary of State of New Mexico and a public servant for over three decades. She is the second highest ranking Hispanic elected official in the country, second only to New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Madame Secretary Herrera is one of only two state-wide elected Hispanic women and is the highest ranking state elected Hispanic woman in the United States. As Secretary of State for New Mexico, she is second in line to succeed the office of governor. Mary Herrera faces re-election in November 2010 and, as early as July 2009, has already started collecting campaign contributions.[1]
Education
- Gaduated from West Mesa High School (1977)
- Bachelor's degree, College of Santa Fe in business administration
- Master's degree, College of Santa Fe in business administration
- Certificate of Program Administration for Senior Executives, Harvard University
- Certificates in Labor, Employment, and Benefits Law, Institute for Applied Management
- Doctorate degree honoris causa, College of Santa Fe (2007) in humane letters
Political experience
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For thirty-three years, Mary Herrera was been able to work her way up the ranks of the Bernalillo County Government, beginning her political career as a clerk typist in 1974 then moving up to the position of Assistant Comptroller in 1989. For four years starting in 1996, she served the county as Director of Human Resources. In November 2000, Herrera was elected Bernalillo County Clerk and was re-elected to the position in November 2004.
A native of Albuquerque, Madame Secretary is active in numerous organizations and serves on several boards at both the national and state levels. She serves on the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and she was appointed to the EAC by the Governor's Association, issuing voluntary guidelines to various states regarding election issues. Madame Secretary recently served on the New Mexico Election Task Force, also working with election issues affecting New Mexico. She is also a current member of the board of directors of the Rio Grande Credit Union and is an associate member of the Fraternal Order of Police. In her capacity as Secretary of State she serves on the Public Employees Retirement Board and State Commission of Public Records. In March 2009, Mary Herrera was elected by the Board of Directors of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), the leadership organization of the nation’s more than 6,000 Latino elected and appointed officials serve as the organization’s President.[2]
Other roles
- Associate Member, Fraternal Order of Police
- Member, Public Employees Retirement Board
- Member, Rio Grande Credit Union Board of Directors
- Member, State Commission of Public Records
Controversy
Secretary of State Project
- See also: Secretary of State Project
The Center for Public Integrity reported in September 2008 that Mary Herrera received a substantial donation of $50,000, or 10 percent of the campaign budget[3], from the Secretary of State Project, a below-the-radar 527 political organization whose purpose is to "wrestling control of the country from the Republican Party" through the process of "removing their political operatives from deciding who can vote and whose votes will count," namely the office of Secretary of State in many cases.[4]
Electoral history
2006
| 2006 Race for Secretary of State - Democratic Primary[5] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
 Mary Herrera (D)
| 39.6% | |||
| Stephanie V. Gonzales (D) | 28.9% | |||
| Shirley Hooper (D) | 19.4% | |||
| Letitia Montoya (D) | 12.1% | |||
| Total votes | 119,843 | |||
| 2006 Race for Secretary of State - General Election[6] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Mary Herrera (D)
| 54.2% | |||
| Vickie S. Pera (R) | 45.8% | |||
| Total votes | 556,610 | |||
2010
- See also: Secretary of State elections, 2010
Herrera is planning a run in 2010 for a second four-year term as New Mexico's secretary of state. If a primary opponent emerges, the primary date is June 1, 2010.
Family life
Mary Herrera currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her two children - Nathan and Monique.
Awards
- Henry Toll Fellowship Program (Council of State Governments)
Contact Information
New Mexico State Capitol
325 Don Gaspar
Suite 300
Santa Fe, NM 87503
505.827.3600 or 800.477.3632
External links
References
- ↑ Green Chile Chatter "Mary Herrera raising money to run again for SOS" 28 July, 2009
- ↑ NALEO News - New Mexico Secretary of State Mary Herrera Elected NALEO President
- ↑ Center for Public Integrity: Paper Trial Blog "Election '08: Scoring Secretary of State Seats for Dems" 8 Sept. 2008
- ↑ American Spectator "SOS in Minnesota" 7 Nov. 2008
- ↑ Secretary of State - Official 2006 Primary Election Results
- ↑ Secretary of State - Official 2006 General Election Results
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