The 2023 Municipal Clerks Honor Roll

Just a glance at the nominations submitted for the 2023 Municipal Clerks Honor Roll makes it more than evident that these individuals are stellar public servants for their communities. So many go above and beyond the duties of their office to act as passionate ambassadors for their municipalities, often volunteering hours of their own time to help with special projects or events, and ensuring everyone feels welcome and cared for.

The 2023 Municipal Clerks Honor Roll drew over 300 nominations, with several clerks receiving kudos from multiple people. The top honoree with a record-breaking 47 nominations is Elizabeth Dreaper of Dobbs Ferry, New York. 175 Clerks from Saxman, Alaska, to China, Maine, have been honored this year by their peers and appreciative communities. Nominations for this annual event, a program from General Code since 2001, were received during Municipal Clerks Week with the results revealed on May 15.

As always, nominations highlighted extraordinary leadership in challenging situations, implementation of digital tools, streamlining of processes, outreach to community members, taking on new and multiple roles, and a general willingness to go the extra mile whenever needed. Repeated mentions also covered a diligence to continuing educational pursuits to improve skills and knowledge. Experience ranged from being brand new to the position to serving for over several decades.

Here’s just a sampling of the tributes given for the nominated clerks:

City Secretaries are vital and integral roles across all cities and (she) is no exception. She wears many “hats” in her role (with the city) and in addition to the statutory duties of the position she is responsible for overseeing communications, the city website, social media platforms, utility billing, municipal court, and all administrative operations at City Hall.

(She) has pursued continued education, constantly upgrading her skills. (She has) implemented many cost-saving measures and increased services to residents.

(She) is the nexus, the kingpin, the center, the facilitator of our Village’s government operations. She is fearless, dedicated, and we thank her every day for keeping all the gears of Village Hall moving smoothly onward!

(She) is a great leader and role model for everyone in our office. She exhibits integrity, respect, humility, passion, and perseverance. (She) is always making sure that everyone in the office feels heard and practices an open-door policy in the office. (She) pushes everyone to excel and be the best and then some.

She goes above and beyond multiple times a day. She assists the Township with ALL events any time of the day – even on the weekends. She is a wonderful coworker and is ALWAYS helpful and supportive. When people think of (our township) – (she) is the first person who comes to mind. The residents love her, the Township Committee loves her, and all of the employees love her!

She has played an integral role in organizing local elections, managing important records, and providing valuable support to both residents and elected officials. Her exceptional communication skills, attention to detail, and willingness to go above and beyond to make her an invaluable asset to our community.

Every time I walk into her office she has a bright smile and sparkle in her eye and eager to help me with whatever matter I am inquiring about. She always has a spot-on answer, suggested resolution, and or takes action herself.

(She) shines in her position and is a valued member of our community, giving to those in need. (She) not only cares for our community, she is involved in it as well. (She) has secretly purchased holiday dinners for those in need. She has donated crafts for fundraising.

(She) doesn’t just do her job, (she) is a person that perfects the job, with fantastic people skills and the desire to strive in her performance to keep our village running.

(She) is an absolute rockstar and one of my best and most trusted employees. She has brought a breath of fresh air through taking the initiative, innovative, and thinking out of the box.

Besides doing all of her clerking duties she truly cares about her town and the place she works. She paints the townhall, maintains the flower beds, and assists with the volunteer fire department’s yearly raffle. She also joined a program that collects clean plastic bags and turns them into a park bench after 500 lb. are collected (that’s a lot of plastic grocery bags).

(She) cares deeply about the community and the people she serves each day. (She) was one of the first to volunteer to help at our local food pantry during the early days of the pandemic.

(She) is always available to all of the residents, making everyone in the township feel welcome and “at home” when they enter the Town Hall. (She) not only is the Clerk for our township, but also wears many other hats: Registrar of Vital Statistics, Certified Recycling Professional, head of the Clean Communities program, and a Notary Public.

In a small municipality all involved wear many hats, and none more than our township clerk. Without her experience, dedication and commitment, our township would not be, what I consider to be, an extraordinary place to live.

She is the oil that keeps our village government running, and has provided the institutional memory and know-how that has guided us through multiple changes in administrators.

She is a friendly face and always going the distance.

She is very professional and truly displays the characteristics of what a clerk should be: neutral, professional, kind, helpful, mentoring, caring, and always quick to assist with a smile.

(She) has taken the lead position in implementing various software programs to assist not only in improving the delivery services in the Clerk’s Office, but township-wide.

(She) has taken a lead role in creating/expanding the High School/College Internship Program that oversees 15 Departments and approximately 30 Internships a year. (She) has spoken to numerous groups of students at the High School to educate students on a potential career as a Township Clerk. The goal of the program is to prepare “job-ready students” from High School to College and ultimately into the workforce.

She gives everyone 100% and makes sure that each person feels valued and loved. She goes out of her way to check on everyone. She delivers top notch customer service.

She faces every situation with unparalleled grit and grace, showing an extreme amount of passion and pride in her work.

Her dedication to her job, her town, and coworkers is commendable and irreplaceable, and for all she does, I am thankful.

She is always continuing to learn and staying on top of the constantly changing facets/interpretations related to local elections law. She is often the last one here at the end of the day.

She has developed a work environment that is enjoyable for all staff and an office that always goes above and beyond for the community.

She serves the elected officials with precision and with equal attention to each official. She also serves our citizens well, and we receive numerous compliments about her level of service, kindness, and fairness to all.

It is truly a pleasure to work with her and to be able to seek her counsel in all that we do on a daily basis!!!

He is always cheerful, bouncing around City Hall, changing light bulbs, fixing this or that, and making someone laugh.

She is compassionate and has a heartbeat for the citizens…that’s what drives her hard work.

Her energy and contributions have helped lift morale in our staff community and we appreciate all that she does.

Congratulations to the 2023 honorees and thank you to everyone who took time to submit the nominations! All of us at General Code appreciate the opportunity to spotlight the extraordinary work of these municipal clerks – and public employees everywhere – who are tirelessly committed to the well-being of our communities.

View the full list of 2023 Municipal Clerks Honor Roll honorees.

Clerks of Distinction: The 2023 Municipal Clerks Honor Roll

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