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McKenzie Uto Lueck takes over as Garfield County Auditor after her appointment by the Garfield County Commissioners to fill the remaining term left open by Donna Deal's retirement. Lueck was sworn into office Monday, May 4, 2020.
By Connie Boyer
East Washingtonian Reporter
POMEROY-McKenzie Uto Lueck has been appointed and sworn in as Garfield County Auditor on Monday, May 4, 2020, to complete retiring auditor Donna Deal's term effective April 30, 2020. Lueck has been the Deputy Auditor since December, 2017.
Lueck is a native of Pomeroy, and graduated from Pomeroy High School in 2014. She continued her education at Lewis Clark State College, graduating in May, 2017, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, as well as an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts.
She has been married to Brendan Lueck, also from Pomeroy, since 2017. The Luecks have no children yet, but they do have two dogs and three horses. McKenzie has had an interest in horses for some time, and still enjoys barrel racing. She also enjoys outdoor activities with family and friends, such as camping.
McKenzie is the daughter of Ken (Kathy) Uto and Marla Uto, and she has two sisters, Erica Baldus of Grangeville, and Kaci Juette, now living in the Tri Cities area. Other family members in Pomeroy are Jeremy Lueck, father-in-law, and Doug and Chris Lueck, grandparents-in-law.
What she has liked best about her job as Deputy Auditor is service to the public. She enjoys interacting with a lot of people, and encountering new things that come up every day. She says it is a fun and challenging job, and she really loves working with the staff in the office, especially Nikki Smith and Donna Deal. McKenzie and Brendan lived in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley for a while during college, but were glad to return to Pomeroy in 2017. She loves the way the community supports the school sports, and how everyone supports each other.
Lueck plans to run for the County Auditor's position in November, and has the support of long–time Auditor Donna Deal. Deal says she is definitely qualified for the position, has the technical skills as well as the most pleasant customer service skills around. Her advice for Lueck is to "step up and let people know how skilled she is."
