San Diego County Registrar of Voters Deborah Seiler, who is retiring before the end of the year, said today she is anxious to return to her home in Sacramento and spend quality time with her husband and granddaughter.
News of Seiler's retirement surfaced earlier this week, but there was no formal announcement. She told City News Service that her husband remained in their house in the state's capital city when she came to San Diego 5 1/2 years ago to take the registrar's job.
Her husband would visit on many weekends and they "would be like tourists,'' said Seiler, who has helped run elections for 34 years, most of them as an employee of the California Secretary of State.
She said she wants to be with her granddaughter, now 4 years old, play tennis every morning with her husband and take care of "five years of deferred maintenance'' in her garden.
She first discussed retirement with her superiors about one year ago, but decided to stay on through last month's presidential election.
Seiler said in her San Diego tenure, she has improved internal processes in her office, upgraded equipment, greatly increased the number of voters who cast ballots by mail and put a strong management team in place.
"It's been a busy and challenging time -- the elections have been constant,'' Seiler said. "We've definitely stabilized operations.''
She'll miss out on new digs. Groundbreaking is scheduled for next week on a new county building in Kearny Mesa that will house the registrar's office, which is currently located in an aging and cramped industrial park-type structure.
"I will come back and visit the new building for sure,'' Seiler said. "I'm thrilled for the staff and the voters for this new building but, unfortunately, it won't be one I inhabit.''
She said she believes the county will announce a succession plan in a couple of days. Her last day on the job is Dec. 27, she said.
