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Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Laddie retiring

[With hundreds of photos of city officials, I cannot find one of Laddie. Will try to fix that.]
 

Though always addressed as Madame Clerk, Plainfielders universally refer to their Municipal Clerk as 'Laddie' when speaking of her to others.

With (if I have it right) thirty-nine years of service to the community (she began with the school district), Laddie has become an institution, a repository of the communal memory, and what the French call une dame formidable when maligned.

Laddie has managed the discharge of the Clerk's multitude of responsibilities (here is just a short list) --

  • Secretary to the Governing Body
  • Secretary of the Municipal Corporation and keeper of the Seal
  • Presides at annual reorganization of the Council until a new President is sworn in
  • Custodian of all records of the corporation
  • Chief administrative officer of all elections held in the municipality
  • Oversees licenses and permits (liquor, taxi, events, etc.)
  • Serves as Ward Commissioner after every decennial Census to re-apportion Wards
with aplomb as these have grown more demanding over the years.

At last night's meeting, each Councilor thanked her for her years of service and noted personal anecdotes about their relationships.

At the end, Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs crossed the Council chambers to the Clerk's desk and gave Laddie a big hug and a smooch.

Laddie, thank you for all you have done, and know that we shall miss you.

Thank God, you'll only be a phone call away in case anyone gets stuck!




-- Dan Damon [follow]

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2 comments:

Rebecca Williams said...

I had hoped that Laddie would be the City Clerk in January, when I am scheduled to be affirmed as the new councilwoman. Perhaps I can entice her to make an appearance!

Rebecca ("Becky" to Laddie!)

Anonymous said...

Hey, I heard Dave Brown resigned! I wonder why he felt he had to jump ship so soon!