Opinion: A Perspective of the City Clerk’s Office Developed Over 30 Years

0
929

By Verna Rollinger

Laguna residents are fortunate to have two elected officials, the city clerk and the city treasurer, working directly for us in City Hall every day. The city clerk keeps the records that the city depends on for its operations, supervises local elections, and supplies us with the information we need to participate in our local government. City Clerk responsibilities are similar, on a smaller scale, to those of California’s secretary of state.

Our current city clerk is retiring, and we need to elect a new one. It’s extremely important that she be independent, and by this I mean free from pressure by the city council or the city manager to do something that doesn’t serve the public interest and also free to serve the public (for example, to assist citizens with a referendum or a recall) no matter what the city manager or the city council thinks about it.

I served as your elected city clerk for almost three decades. I thought of the position as a liaison between city council, management, staff and the public. I was always happy to join with city staff to tackle a problem. In at least one situation, I was asked by the city manager to do something that, in my opinion, was improper and in direct conflict with an action taken by the city council. Not only did I decline but also I made it clear that neither he nor I had the authority to change or modify a council action. On other occasions, because of my independence I was able to institute services for the city and the public over the city manager’s objections. One example was the city’s first website, which I created with the help of a talented member of the staff who worked on his own time. I took to the completed website to the council for approval.

There are two candidates for city clerk. Both candidates have relevant experience, but one, Mariann Tracy, may have difficulty remaining independent in the office because she has been our city manager’s personal assistant. In contrast, we can be sure that Ann Marie McKay will bring independence, along with leadership, dedication to service, vision, and transparency, to the clerk’s office. For this reason and others, I am voting for Ann Marie, and I hope that she’ll also be your choice.

Verna is the vice president of Village Laguna and a former Laguna Beach City Clerk.

Share this:

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here