President’s Message
It’s 2008 and I hope this finds you, your families, and staff well. The holidays are behind us, a new year is before us, and “Clerkdome” shows no signs of slowing down.
Bring on the elections! For most clerks involved in elections, 2008 is shaping up to be a very busy year, with many clerks preparing for four elections this year. Primaries, town meetings, state elections, and the biggest one of all – the Presidential! After all of this, we are going to need some time to recoup. What better way could there be to re-vitalize yourself than by getting out of your office and attending the annual conference? In addition to bringing you informative educational sessions, conference committee members are also focusing on having fun. By then, we’re going to need it. I invite you all and hope you will plan to join us at the Sheraton Harborside in Portsmouth, NH, November 19-21st.
Your NEMCI board members have been and continue to be hard at work preparing for another successful year for the Institute and Academy classes. Classes will be held at St. Michael’s College in VT, the week of July 13-18th. I hope you will mark your calendar and plan to attend these high caliber educational sessions. For those needing financial assistance, there are a number of scholarships available through your state association, the New England association, and IIMC. For further scholarship information, please contact your state scholarship chair. Contact information is listed on the NEACTC website.
NEMCI board members are probably the hardest working committee members that this organization has and they deserve recognition for all that they do to keep this wonderful educational opportunity available to clerks right here in the New England area. In addition to all that is involved putting on this program, recently, board members have been facing new challenges that IIMC has been dictating in regard to course topics, classroom hours, and accreditation issues. Your board members have been exploring all options with regard to the program by participating in a Task Force, developing a plan to incorporate the changing criteria, as well as looking into other possibilities to meet certification requirements. Please continue to watch this newsletter and the website for more information.
For those of you who don’t know me, you’ll find that I am a very strong proponent of continuing education. As such, it was with great pleasure that I learned that Kathleen M. Montejo of Lewiston, ME and Lucette S. Pellerin of Saco, ME both earned the prestigious designation of Master Municipal Clerk. Please join me in congratulating these two ladies on a job well done.
Winter is here in full force. I used to tolerate the winter months with longing thoughts of spring while crossing the days off the calendar one at a time. This year I have a new appreciation for it. I think it’s because of the snow. The past few winters, with a storm here or there and little lasting ground cover, had been depressing to me. Views of dead flower gardens and hibernating lawns and trees were not that exciting. This year the snow has been perfect for covering those views, and has provided for consistent outdoor snow recreational activities. My husband, dog, and I have been able to enjoy snow-shoeing on a regular basis with lots of ground cover. We are also new snowmobile owners and are experiencing that sport with lots of enjoyment. For those of you who have not found something to do with all of the snow and are not enjoying these long winter months, hang in there, spring will come. Probably around the time you receive your next newsletter.
Take care,
Diane Trippett, CMC
President NEACTC