This story has been updated.
With a high-stakes municipal election approaching quickly, retiring Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen has agreed to continue working for another month while the search for her replacement continues.
Callanen had chosen Jan. 24 as her final day on the job so she could take part in an elections staff ritual of watching the presidential inauguration together over brunch.
But a Jan. 24 letter from Judge Peter Sakai, shared with the San Antonio Report, outlined plans for Callanen to stay on through the end of February to help “ensure a smooth transition” for the next elections administrator.
Sakai chairs the Bexar County Election Commission, which is tasked with hiring for the position. The panel is scheduled to meet Jan. 28 to interview potential candidates.
Bexar County hired Robert Half Executive Search to conduct a national search for the next elections chief back in early November.
The recruiter told the election commission that same month that it had identified 58 potential candidates, and suggested one could potentially be hired before Callanen’s retirement.
Tuesday will be the first meeting since that update.
With a high-profile municipal election coming up this spring, Bexar County Commissioner Grant Moody (Pct. 3) said Monday that Callanen might as well stay on longer.
“I want to ensure we have a smooth transition so I’m glad Jacque has agreed to stay on for another month, but at this point I’d suggest she stay on through mid-May to help a newly hired elections administrator through the municipal elections,” Moody said on social media.
The eventual candidate will have to satisfy an unusual hiring panel made up of Sakai, County Clerk Lucy Adame-Clark, Tax Assessor-Collector Albert Uresti, Republican Party Chair Kris Coons and Democratic Party Chair Michelle LoweSolis.
Callanen said in an exit interview last year that preparations for the May 3 municipal election would start as early as December. The ballot is set for that election by mid-February, and early voting begins April 22.
