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It adds up to a new treasurer

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New treasurer in Lovington is third to hold the position in just under a year

LOVINGTON – They say the third time is the charm, and for Tayni Kennedy, she hopes that’s true.

Kennedy was offered the position of treasurer for the City of Lovington Tuesday night after a closed-door city commission session in which commissioners interviewed the final two potential candidates for the job. In addition to Kennedy, Paige Ellis also interviewed with commissioners.

The former senior business relationship manager with Wells Fargo Bank in Hobbs said she looks forward to the challenge of the position with the city.

“I’m an analytical person, and there’s nothing that’s too challenging for me,” Kennedy told the News-Sun after the meeting. “A challenge is not intimidating to me. I’ll just dismantle it and rebuild it from scratch.”

Kennedy, who pronounces her first name as “taw-nee,” was offered the position after about a 45 minute executive session interview with the four city commissioners who were present. Loving-ton Mayor David Trujillo, along with commissioners Bernard Butcher, Scott Gandy, and Scott Boldt conducted the interviews.

The commissioners collectively thanked both candidates for spending a total of almost an hour and a half in the closed door session.

“It takes a lot of guts to come up and talk to an open board, especially as part of municipality,” Trujillo said when calling the special session back into an open meeting. “To move forward and take the position of treasurer with a city is very bold because you do answer to 12,000 citizens here in the City of Loving-ton.”

Originally from Roswell, and a graduate of Goddard High School, Kennedy also has a Bachelor’s in Science degree from Texas Tech, majoring in Interdisciplinary Agriculture, and minoring in Plant Science. She graduated Cum Laude in 2006.

Kennedy will inherit the job from Anthony Dobbs, who vacated the position in October, after only having been in the position since June. Before Dobbs filled the role of treasurer, Lovington’s chief financial position had sat empty since former finance director Gary Chapman, who had been with the city for about six years, departed in April.

And, although Kennedy walked away with the offer for the top accounting spot in the county seat, Ellis was also offered a financial spot the city has needed to fill for some time, Trujillo told the News-Sun.

“She would be working with the water department on billing,” said Trujillo. “Her skills are needed in that area. So, as a board, we had a discussion on, we have that position open currently.”

If Ellis accepts the position currently open in the water department, she could potentially help solve some of the problems the city has had in the last several months with complaints from residents about billing, Trujillo said.

“We need to do some cleaning up there, it’s needed,” said Trujillo. “We had the opportunity to bring someone on board with accounting skills, so why not?”

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