The race for treasurer of La Plata County is off to an early start, with Erin Hutchins declaring her candidacy for next year’s election.

Hutchins is currently the election administrator with the La Plata County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.

“I have a lot of experience in local government,” she said. “I’ve been working for La Plata County for 10 years ... and I love the environment of the office, I love how open it is and how much the citizens are able to come in and see our processes.”

She said openness and a positive approach to the way residents’ business is conducted are qualities she wants to bring to the Treasurer’s Office.

She said at the Clerk and Recorder’s Office, “for anything from motor vehicle to marriages to elections, they leave feeling that they’ve had a good experience, and I want to carry that forward, and I believe that the Treasurer’s Office could really use a positive perspective. I really want to help elevate that office and make it more available to the public – and make it an experience that someone enjoys even though they’re paying property taxes. I don’t want it to be a negative thing.”

Hutchins said she has a history in accounting and graduated with a degree in accounting from Fort Lewis College.

“As the election administrator, a lot of the back-end stuff is running numbers, balancing,” she said. “I have a lot of experience handling finances for a really large department collection for motor vehicle, and I believe that that’s something I could carry forward and continue building on up there.”

She said she is also interested in promoting collaboration between the treasurer and other county departments, especially with the Clerk’s Office and the Assessor’s Office.

“I think it could create a great team environment,” she said.

Hutchins is running as an independent candidate.

“I feel it’s an extremely important place to be when you’re representing the community as a whole,” she said. “It allows for a comfort and open communications from both sides of the aisle, so to speak. ... We should be running off of our experience and our resumes versus party lines.”

The election for La Plata County treasurer is November 2022.

“I just want to get out there and meet as many people as I can and understand if they have any concerns or desires that they want to see come out of the Treasurer’s Office – and just start getting my name out there,” Hutchins said.

Allison Aichele, a Democrat, is La Plata County’s current treasurer and was first elected in 2014.

ngonzales@durangoherald.com