The Arlington elections office is on the hunt for a No. 2.
A No. 2 staffer, that is, not pencil. Presumably they have plenty of the latter.
Eric Olsen, who served as deputy registrar for two years, in November began duties as elections supervisor in Prince William County, where he lives.
“We’re very excited for Eric – we wish him the best,” said Electoral Board chair Matt Weinstein.
Prince William’s previous registrar, Michele White, resigned under somewhat murky circumstances last April after six years on the job. Olsen’s appointment was timed so he could wrap up duties in Arlington shortly after the Nov. 2 election.
Arlington elections chief Gretchen Reinemeyer will be tasked with finding a replacement. “I hope to move quickly,” she told Electoral Board members on Nov. 30.
Arlington has proved to be something of a training ground for those moving up the ranks of election officials.
In 2012, deputy registrar Donna Patterson moved on to become elections chief in Virginia Beach, while her successor as deputy registrar, Reinemeyer, in 2019 was appointed as Arlington’s elections chief following the retirement of Linda Lindberg. Lindberg, herself, had served as deputy to the previous registrar, Charlotte Cleary.
Also on Reinemeyer’s plate in the post-election period is filling three positions recently funded by the County Board: A full-time bilingual outreach/communications specialist and two part-time posts designed to help with the department’s increasing workload.