The following was submitted by the candidate
Marion V. McEttrick, former Milton selectman, wants to serve Milton’s residents as town clerk. She seeks to replace James G. Mullen, Jr. who has retired. In the announcement of her candidacy for town clerk she made the following statement:
I am running for town clerk to bring energy and commitment to that key office. Most importantly I will be a town clerk who is politically independent and has a proven record of service to Milton residents. I believe that my twelve years as selectman and other town service qualify me for the job.The town clerk’s office should be a welcoming place for both longtime residents and newcomers. It should be an accessible source of information and public services. To fulfill this role, the town clerk must combine small town friendliness with the latest technology for recordkeeping and public communication.
The responsibilities of the town clerk are defined by state law. As an attorney, I have the skills and knowledge to keep abreast of changes in the law. With nearly thirty years’ experience as a town official (selectman, board of appeals member and town meeting representative), I am familiar with most of the functions of the clerk’s office.
As selectman I have helped to reform the town government from an organization without even basic email communication to a workplace where electronic communication, use of the internet and web-based communication are the norm with constant improvement despite a tight budget. As town clerk I want to accelerate and advocate for further advances. I will work to improve the town clerk’s website and its on-line capabilities.
The supervision of elections, management of the nomination process for candidates, the appointment of election officials, the designation of voting districts and selection of polling locations must be carried out with openness, competence, independence and integrity. Candidates for office should be assisted without bias.
The town clerk has a recently expanded function in assuring that conflict of interest laws are carefully observed by our town officials. The town clerk has a key role at Town Meeting, keeping records and managing attendance and voting.
The town clerk’s office has the critical function of maintaining vital public records of birth, deaths and marriages, and recording decisions of the Board of Appeals, the Planning Board and the Conservation Commission. Milton is one of the oldest towns in America. I plan to better organize and secure our historic town archives and records.
With my husband I have been a Milton homeowner and property taxpayer for three decades. We raised two sons who took advantage of the Milton public schools. We now have two grandchildren. Alex is now in kindergarten at Tucker School where his sister Sophie will soon follow. I have served as president of the Tucker and Pierce Middle School PTO’s and as the president of the Friends of the Milton Public Library.
It would be a great honor to put my education, experience and independent viewpoint to work as your next Town Clerk. I will devote myself full time to the job. I will be a welcoming face for Milton.
I will campaign in all our Milton neighborhoods asking for your vote at the April 24th town election.
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For further information contact:
Marion McEttrick
10 Crown Street
Milton, MA 02186
617-696-5569