Report Excerpt:(5 - 0)
The Select Board recommends Town Meeting’s support for a local ballot question on converting the Office of the Town Clerk from an elected office to an appointed position as recommended by the Town Clerk Study previously authorized by Town Meeting. Only upon a positive vote on a local ballot question can the Clerk’s position be changed to appointed.
While the duties of the Town Clerk are very important, they are almost entirely dictated by federal and state law, in addition to the Town Bylaws. As such, while the duties of the position have increased in complexity and scope, they remain administrative in nature rather than focusing on matters of policymaking like the School Committee or the Select Board. Moreover, of the 120 communities which now utilize an appointed Town Clerk, none of them to the Board’s knowledge have experienced a decline in the quality of services or the objectivity of their clerks based on their appointed nature. Further, an elected Town Clerk must be a Town resident interested in running for office. While the Select Board has confidence in its current Town Clerk, the quality of the clerk could vary dramatically depending on who is willing to run for such office, particularly against incumbent clerks. An appointed clerk, on the other hand, can be hired regardless of their residency based purely on their qualifications. For these reasons, the Board is comfortable putting this question to the voters of Arlington.