Change may be ahead for town clerk’s office

By Joe Kelly

When local elections are held next year in Norfolk, a familiar office may not be on the ballot: Town Clerk. There is a plan afoot, initiated by First Selectman Matt Riiska, to make the town clerk an appointed position.

Riiska argues that the skills and expertise needed to be a town clerk have evolved, making it no longer wise to assume that someone who wins an election is the best one to do the job.

“Being town clerk is far more technical than it was just a few years ago especially when you look at all the issues around early voting and absentee ballots,” said Riiska. “There are more regulations and there’s more scrutiny by the state that we’re doing the job correctly.”

Riiska isn’t alone in thinking this way. In Connecticut, making the clerk’s office appointive rather than elective is a bona fide trend. According to the state Secretary of State’s website, since 2015 more than twenty towns have switched over and now appoint rather than elect their town clerk. Even more towns (including Norfolk) have done the same for tax collectors, according to Lisa Madden, president of the Connecticut Tax Collectors Association.

Stonington, in southeast Connecticut, is the latest town in the state to do so. Voters there in November approved measures making both the town clerk and tax collector jobs appointive (while voting down a measure to increase the selectman’s term from two to four years).

In Stonington, the move was supported by the town’s longtime clerk, who is retiring. But that’s not the case here in Norfolk. Linda Perkins was Norfolk’s town clerk for nearly 15 years before stepping down in October for health reasons. Perkins believes Norfolk should keep the position elective. “The office reports to the Secretary of the State,” said Perkins. “Other town clerks have talked about the Selectmen telling them what to do, change their budget or [tell] them how to run the office. As a town clerk, you are following the law, not the Selectmen.”

Among all the offices in town hall, the town clerk carries one of the broadest portfolios. It’s the clerk’s job to make sure the town follows state election laws, record property transfers and preserve the agendas and minutes of town meetings. You go the town clerk to get your paperwork to record a birth, marriage or death; go swimming at Tobey Pond; use the transfer station; license your dog or legally enjoy hunting or fishing. Clerks are also expected to make decisions on things such as digitizing records, ensuring privacy and freedom of information, protecting against cyberthreats and whether to shred or retain official documents.

According to Patricia Spruance, president of the Connecticut Town Clerks Association, the push to make the job appointive is one that’s endorsed by many clerks themselves. “Town clerks are like everyone else. They want stability in their lives when it comes to jobs and salary. After putting in the effort to get the skills and experience, you still have to campaign for the job, and you could lose.”

Advocates for making the job appointed say that with no campaigning and no residency requirements, towns will have a larger and better pool of candidates. But those arguing for the status quo say just the opposite is true: requiring potential clerks to run and be a resident will make them more dedicated to meeting the needs of the town.

Gary L. Rose, PhD, a political science professor at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, sees the shift from elected to appointed as indicative of a growing concern over political polarization. “People feel that things have become so partisan even at the state and local level,” said Rose, who is author of the book “New England Local Government: The Case of Connecticut.” “They believe if you can take that position out of the partisan atmosphere, it’s better.” 

Rose, however, questioned whether there’s really an advantage to making the job of clerk appointive. “I don’t have a problem with an elected town clerk,” he said. “Based on my experience, they seem good enough.”

Something like the polarized acrimony Rose mentioned appears to be playing out next door to Norfolk as part of an intra-party squabble in North Canaan. In January, North Canaan’s newly elected First Selectman, Brian M. Ohler (a Republican), filed a complaint with the state Attorney General’s office alleging improprieties on the part of fellow Republican Jean A. Jacquier, North Canaan’s town clerk since 2017. Ohler charged, among other things, that Jacquier had improperly shredded “bags and bags and bags of documents.”

The Attorney General’s office investigated the complaint and in October announced that it had found infractions related to office security, improper posting of campaign materials and untimely stamping of documents. Shredding went unmentioned and no action was recommended. Jacquier is now suing North Canaan for legal fees.

For the most part, Norfolk—and other Connecticut towns—have been spared that kind of conflict. During her years as clerk in Norfolk, Perkins (a Democrat) frequently ran unopposed or was cross endorsed by both major political parties. Before Perkins, Ann Moses held the position for 40 years starting in 1968. Right now, in Sherman, Carol Havens has logged nearly 50 years on the job, making her the longest-serving elected town clerk in the state.

Changing Norfolk’s town clerk to an appointed position requires approval by town voters. Riiska said he plans to bring the matter before the electorate at the annual town meeting in May 2025. 

Norfolk’s current town clerk, Deborah Nelson, who was assistant town clerk for about two years, is the first in Norfolk to have fully completed the certification process. Nelson said she would welcome the opportunity to run for election or be appointed. 

Whoever is the next clerk might find they are spending more time in town hall. Riiska wants the clerk’s office to be open all day on Friday’s and, during busy periods, on Saturday. Right now, Riiska can only use the art of persuasion to make that change.