Council selects Ben Lane as Scottsdale’s next City Clerk

After a national recruitment, the City Council has selected Ben Lane as Scottsdale’s next city clerk.

Mr. Lane has been the deputy city clerk in Phoenix since March 2011, where he managed election processes and the city’s records management program.

Among his key accomplishments was helping establish voting centers in place of polling places for city elections, allowing voters greater flexibility while saving the city hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“We are very pleased to bring Ben Lane on board as Scottsdale’s new city clerk,” said Mayor David D. Ortega in a prepared statement. “He is an experienced and accomplished professional who has been very successful and innovative in the complex and critically important elections and records management functions. We are very fortunate to bring him to Scottsdale.”

In Phoenix, he implemented the E-Qual system, which allows city election candidates to obtain their nomination petition signatures online. Scottsdale plans to implement this system for local candidates this summer, according to a press release.

He also has experience with electronic signatures and online campaign finance filing systems, which Scottsdale is interested in exploring as well.

“I am very grateful for this opportunity and excited to join the Scottsdale team and work with the mayor, city council, city leadership and employees, and the community,” said Mr. Lane. “I look forward to working with the city clerk’s staff to further the important work done by the City Clerk’s Office.”

Mr. Lane holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina, and a law degree from the University of Texas. He is a Certified Municipal Election Official from the Arizona Municipal Clerks’ Association.

Previous City Clerk Carolyn Jagger retired at the end of 2020 and has been serving in a temporary capacity during the recruitment and selection process.

Mr. Lane will start in Scottsdale March 8. He is no relation to W.J. “Jim” Lane, Scottsdale’s previous mayor.