Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Town Clerk Election topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge Shelby board to keep town clerk an elected position
Summary
At a packed public hearing, longtime residents and the town27s clerk urged the Shelby board not to change the town clerk from an elected to an appointed position, saying elections preserve accountability; the board said it will accept written comments for two weeks and may place a referendum on the November ballot.
Dozens of Shelby residents urged the town board to keep the town clerk an elected office, saying voter control is a key check on local power.
Katie, a former Shelby resident, told the board she watched her mother serve the town for nearly 20 years and earn the "master municipal clerk" designation, and said: "Please don't take that way that right away." She argued the clerk27s accountability to voters is more important than how the officeholder arrived in the job.
Why it matters: The board is proposing a local law to change the town clerk from an elected to an appointed position and asked for public input. Supporters of keeping the office elected said appointment would move decision-making from the electorate to a small board majority and could weaken the clerk27s independent statutory duties, including records management, public notices and FOIL responses.
Speakers from across the county backed keeping clerk positions elected. A longtime town clerk who said she has served more than 30 years urged residents to learn the role before supporting structural change. An attendee identifying as a county clerk said elected officials serve all residents regardless of party and that the separation between clerk and board is an important check on power.
Turnout and representation were focal points in several comments. One speaker, Brian, cited roughly 4,800 registered voters in Shelby and said about 5502D600 people voted in the last election ("a little over 14%" of eligible voters), warning that placing the decision in the hands of a board would concentrate power in far fewer people.
Board response and next steps: After public comment the board moved to close the clerk portion of the public speaking session. Board members repeatedly said the proposal would not immediately remove voters27 rights but would be placed on the ballot for voters to decide; elected board members said they will accept written comments for two more weeks before deciding whether to bring the item to the November ballot.
The board recorded the closure of the public comment session on the proposed local law for the town clerk; no final local law was adopted at the meeting.
