ORANGE — Municipal discussion will continue regarding the idea of converting town clerk from an elected position to an appointed one, and civic input and engagement is expected to be solicited by the Selectboard.
Chair Ryan Mailloux said he has heard from members of the public about this issue and the option will be placed on the warrant for next year’s Annual Town Meeting.
“There’s been a lot of citizen feedback and engagement since this topic has come up, both on social media, with me directly, and amongst employees in Town Hall,” Mailloux said at Wednesday’s virtual Selectboard meeting. “So what (Town Clerk Nancy Blackmer and I) think would be the best path to follow for that would be one that involves citizen engagement and gives us a lot of time to think it through and discuss it as a board, publicly.”
He said putting the option up for a vote at the Jan. 7 Special Town Meeting would not give the public enough time to ponder the issue.
“If it is passed at the Annual Meeting, it will go to an election vote at the next election, and that’s where citizens will vote at the polls in order to support it,” Mailloux explained. “I think it would give us the opportunity to think about from every aspect as a board and also include citizen engagement.”
Member Pat Lussier asked at Wednesday’s meeting if anyone had thought to ask Blackmer, who has been on the job since 1999, to “write up a really detailed job description (of what) she does so that if it were going to remain an elected position that people would know what the job requirements are.” She said many people are probably ignorant about every responsibility executed in that office.
“That’s challenging, because the job description itself and what it entails is dictated through Mass General Law,” Mailloux responded. “But I feel like Nancy could probably accomplish a ‘Town Clerk of Orange Day-to-Day,’ like, what it looks like.”
Member Jane Peirce chimed in to say she thinks that is a wonderful idea.
A town clerk’s duties also include issuing licenses, certificates and notifications, and other administrative work.
Selectboard member Alexandre Schwanz, who was not present at Wednesday’s meeting, is an advocate for keeping the town clerk position as an elected one. At a previous meeting, Schwanz said he doesn’t think it makes sense to convert the position to an appointed one.
“I don’t think that’s what Orange wants,” he said. “I don’t think it’s in Orange’s best interest.”
Schwanz’s opinions, previously emailed to the Greenfield Recorder, state “a significant salary increase would be necessary to recruit an appointed town clerk.” He said Blackmer earns less than $50,000 a year and the salaries of appointed town clerk positions on the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s website start at more than $76,000. He also said the “newly appointed office would be perpetually filled by inexperienced professionals seeking to start their careers and then move on to bigger and better positions.”
Schwanz also said someone who is not an Orange resident will not understand the community’s character. But Mailloux retorted that the town administrator, highway superintendent and police chief reside outside of Orange and “couldn’t be more dedicated to their positions if they tried.” Also, anyone interested in running for the elected position could submit a job application for the appointed position.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.