BY MARTHA KATKO|
Los Alamos 

Election Day is coming up quickly, and early voting has begun. While many eyes are on State and Federal elections, we also need to ensure we have strong leadership here in Los Alamos. Four of our seven County Council seats are up for election. 

I encourage you to vote for Steve Lynne for County Council. I had the good fortune to work with Steve for nearly 17 years and had many opportunities to observe his strong leadership abilities and knowledge in County operations.  

Steve worked for Los Alamos County for 28 years, first as the Chief Financial Officer. Following that, he served as the Deputy County Manager and then County Manager. This experience has given Steve an excellent insight into what works and what doesn’t in our unique community, and a long corporate knowledge from which to draw when making decisions. 

One of my favorite things about working alongside Steve was observing him in action. I found him to be very attentive and responsive when approached with concerns. He was available to all employees and listened to all employees equally. When making decisions, Steve often stops and thinks. No decision is made rashly or without considering what is the best course of action. As a County Councilor, Steve will bring these qualities to our citizens. He will continue to be available for conversation and will listen, really listen, when the citizenry talks to him. He will vote thoughtfully and only after careful consideration. 

Fiscal responsibility is one of the biggest and most crucial responsibilities of our County Council. The County has a complex FY27 budget of about $350 million. Within the budget there are various sources of income divided into specific funds, some of which are defined by County Code or outside requirements, and all of which must follow tight control to ensure proper expenditure and reporting. In every position Steve held with the County, he worked very closely with the budget and had to understand all the specific nuances of every part of it.  Getting up to speed on these specifics is one of the biggest challenges for someone new to County governance. Fortunately, Steve already has some of the most in-depth knowledge of any citizen in Los Alamos. Once elected, he will make sound, well informed decisions about how our dollars are spent.

Finally, I would like to draw attention to the relationships Steve has formed over his many years of serving our community. In addition to working with officials from LANL and other large entities in Los Alamos, Steve has forged positive relationships with officials on the regional, state and federal levels. For example, he developed and maintained a positive and productive relationship with the NNSA Site Manager, which helped the County to successfully work through a tough and complex negotiation for the renewal of the Fire Department Services Cooperative Agreement. With Steve serving on County Council, these relationships and previous experiences will serve our community well. 

For more information about Steve, visit www.lynne4council.net. 

The League of Women Voters puts out an election guide covering the candidates, constitutional and charter amendments, and bond questions. This is a great resource for learning about the candidates and issues before going to the polls. It is easily found with a quick Google search.   

Thank you.