Hennepin County elections manager Rachel Bohman is leaving her job at the helm of the largest county election division in the state.

In a note to colleagues, Bohman said she will step aside on May 31. "As you all know, it was a very difficult and personal decision for me," she wrote. She provided no specific reason for her departure, saying that she doesn't know her "exact future" but hopes to "remain active in elections."

The steady-handed manager always appeared calm and collected. Bohman, then Rachel Smith, was hired in March 2010 from Anoka County, where she had held a similar position.

She oversaw Hennepin County's portion of the 2010 gubernatorial recount.

She has been involved in elections since 1998 and worked in the offices of former Secretaries of State Joan Growe and Mary Kiffmeyer.

Deputy elections manager Ginny Gelms will serve as interim elections manager.

ROCHELLE OLSON

@rochelleolson