A smooth transition in the City Secretary’s office
The City of Dalhart welcomed a new City Secretary about six weeks ago, but Cheyanne Robertson has been racing at too much of a full gallop to spare a second for an interview until now. Her first day on the job – one she says she loves – was September 16, 2024. She came on board just three weeks after J. J. Oznick began his position as Dalhart’s new City Manager on Aug. 26.
“The timing was really good, with both of us just beginning about the same time,” Robertson said. “We’re on the same track.”
She comes to Dalhart from Dumas, where she resides with her husband and three children, boys ages seven, four and a two-year-old daughter. She worked briefly for the City of Dumas as Utility Billing Supervisor before taking her current job and was the City Secretary for Crosbyton, her home town, for three years before that.
“I loved being City Secretary, and jumped at this job when it came open,’ Robertson said. “This is what I like doing and what I’m comfortable at. It’s a really valuable job, a key role that takes good networking skills. I just love doing this!”
Former City Secretary Kristy Lehr resigned her position effective Aug. 31 due to family obligations. Robertson praised how well Wendy Kleynhans covered the desk during the two-week gap.
“There weren’t any backlogs, nothing was lacking attention. Wendy did a great job as interim City Secretary, even while handling all of her own responsibilities, and I appreciate it,” Robertson said.
At this point she is still trying to familiarize herself with personnel and department policies and plans. “I toured all the departments last week, and I’m getting to know everyone,” she said. “The department heads all have great ideas of how to maintain or improve their areas.”
The first priority for herself is a cohesive records retention program. “We need to get this cleaned up to make it easier for us to access archives and for the public, as well,” she said. “Just because we have 10 days to produce a document doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be able to pull it up and hand it out the same day, if we can.”
Robertson is a graduate of Eastern New Mexico University, where she studied Social Work and History. She said that both serve her well in her new job.
For the full story SUBSCRIBE to the online edition of The Dalhart Texan, call (806) 244-4511 to setup a subscription to our physical paper or pick a copy up at one of our many convenient news rack locations. You can also stop by and purchase a paper or subscription in person at our news office located at 410 Denrock Ave.
