Clear Job Description: DelVento Leads the Way

The continuing saga of selecting a Clerk to the Town Council is about to add a new chapter to the already lengthy epic which has seen the Council have a difficult time in keeping a council clerk on board for a lengthy period of time. (The last three clerks have stepped down for various reasons).

So Councilor-at-Large Nicholas DelVento deserves credit for bringing the matter to the forefront and working toward hiring a new clerk to replace Kathleen Hickey, who did an excellent job in the opinion of many. Councilor-at-Large Philip Boncore also has stressed the importance of hiring a clerk immediately.

But as the leader of the Council Clerk Committee, DelVento has the tough and unenviable task of having to write a thorough job description for the position. He will have to talk to the three previous clerks, determine a salary for the position commensurate with the new duties and responsibilities, and ascertain whether the position should be combined with other areas of need, or consider the hiring of an outside company to handle the clerk’s responsibilities (although the latter proposal is unlikely).

Mr. DelVento is a hard-working councilor who puts in countless hours. His attendance record at meetings is exemplary, if not near-perfect. Usually the pace of town government slows a bit in the summer months, but DelVento will need to do his homework quickly and bring the council to the point where it is ready to appoint a new council clerk at its next meeting on Aug. 7.

Thank you, Councilor DelVento, in advance for your efforts in resolving the issue of a new council clerk, a vastly underrated position that truly is one of the most important in town government and so crucial to the smooth operation of the Council itself.