WHATELY — Residents will have a chance to decide who will finish a remaining two-year town clerk term at this year’s election following the resignation of current Town Clerk Amy Schrader, who was recently appointed treasurer/collector.
Due to longtime municipal employee Lynn Sibley’s retirement in late February, the Selectboard named Schrader as the town’s new treasurer/collector and she opted to step down from her role as town clerk because of her new duties. She was elected to a three-year term in 2022, although she was previously appointed to finish a one-year term in June 2021.
With this year being an “off year” for elections — there are no state or federal elections this year — Schrader said it’s a good time for someone to get into the role and she’d be happy to help out.
“There’s a lot of nice job duties that go along with it,” she told the Selectboard Tuesday evening. “It’s appealing to some candidates and I would be more than willing to talk to anybody about it.”
Between now and the June 13 town election, the Selectboard voted to appoint Administrative Assistant and Assistant Town Clerk Amy Lavallee as interim town clerk. In a notice on the town website, residents are asked to exercise patience as folks settle into their new roles.
To run for town clerk, residents can pick up nomination papers at the Town Clerk’s Office, 4 Sandy Lane. The last day to obtain papers is April 20 and they must be filed with Lavallee by 5 p.m. on May 9.
Before the Selectboard accepted Schrader’s resignation on Tuesday, members held a brief discussion on the pros and cons of making the town clerk position an appointed position rather than its current status as an elected role.
An elected town clerk, the board and Town Administrator Brian Domina said, is selected by the voters and is independent from the Selectboard, but an appointed role opens up a far wider, and sometimes more-qualified, pool of candidates.
Selectboard Chair Joyce Palmer-Fortune noted it was just a preliminary discussion and the board has no plans to make changes to the position in the near future, but it’s good to start thinking about.
“It wouldn’t be for this year, but maybe we should keep thinking about it and see how things work out in the next year or two,” she said. “We will definitely be keeping that in the back of our minds.”
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.