PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

“WANTED: A self-starting individual available to work long hours, must be happy to always do more than is required to get the job done, must be compassionate and a good listener – being willing to listen twice as much as speak, must have unshakeable knowledge of “What Everybody Else” is doing and be willing to do that and a whole heck of a lot more for less pay than Everybody Else is getting. Must be, must have, must do…”

When you are a Municipal Clerk, life is a series of challenges. My twelve years as a Municipal Clerk have provided me with more than a lifetime of them: Learning a new job with firm parameters of legal and ethical standards; Developing a reliable network of resources, friends and advocates in public service; Challenges to learn more, do more, and be more than I ever thought possible.

For me, it started at NEMCI at Salve when Dr. Clyde McKee addressed the members of our freshman class. He challenged each one of us to aspire to become an officer in our state or regional association, to become a legislator, or to run for the Office of Secretary of our respective states. (I don’t know about all y’all, but this is as high as I’m goin’!)

It seems the more each of us come together as a group, the wider our horizons for achievement become. We are no longer complacent with typical milestone markers – the chairmanship of a committee, the contributor to an information site, or to volunteer to compile some body of information for a particular purpose. We now feel the confidence to establish the committee by which vital projects are completed, to become the webmaster dispersing critical information to those who depend upon it, to publish the newsletter that keeps us all connected, and any fantastic number of compelling ventures that come our way, all in the interests of public service.

What terms can adequately describe a member of the New England Association of City and Town Clerks? As I say each adjective, I know that each of us will think of one or more of our fellows who could be summed up in that one word: Enthusiasm, commitment, passion, devotion, ardor, zeal, energetic, and fervor. Reliable, dedicated, sympathetic, champion, defender, caring, advocate, generous, tireless, kind, principled, and unwavering.

I never really understood the meaning of the word “sharing” until I became a Clerk. I expect that it is as true for every one of our states as it is in Massachusetts, a clerk need only ask a question on our internet group, and within minutes they have the legal references, the boilerplate document, or a solution to whatever situation they need resolved. New England Municipal Clerks are truly a family.

Jerry Seinfeld said, “There is no such thing as something that is fun for the whole family.” Well, that’s where he’d be wrong. Our annual conferences, held in new and exciting places that we might not ordinarily visit, give us opportunities to learn together, to play together, and to strengthen the bonds between us. (SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT** So, please be sure to attend the Massachusetts Conference next year in Salem!)

After our holidays, as we return to our cities and towns, our homes, our lives, and our offices, and we discover that we are faced with “issues,” we will turn to our family of Clerks. When one sister or brother is in need, no matter what that need is – whether it invokes laughter or tears - we will respond.

There is nothing like family.

Catherine Flanagan Stover, MMC, CMMC