By Ted Brady, Executive Director, VLCT
Last week about 200 municipal clerks and treasurers from around Vermont met in Montpelier for the annual conference of the Vermont Municipal Clerks’ and Treasurers’ Association (VMCTA). It is one of my favorite events to attend, largely because it’s a great place to hear from the “tip of the spear” of municipal government. This year, stories about the difficulty of filling vacancies, the challenges of dealing with first amendment auditors, and the struggle to keep up with FEMA paperwork prevailed – along with a lot of talk about taxes. Yet the conference is about a lot more than keeping up to speed with the latest challenges: it's also where clerks and treasurers go to get ready for upcoming elections, study up on new accounting practices, and take time to celebrate their accomplishments.
I was especially excited to congratulate two past and present VLCT board members who won VMCTA awards this year: Fairlee Town Clerk Georgette Wolf-Ludwig and Killington Town Clerk Lucrecia Wonsor. Other award winners were Essex Junction Treasurer Susan McNamara-Hill, Thetford Assistant Clerk Martie Betts, and longtime Hartland Town Clerk Clyde Jenne.
Wolf-Ludwig won the Town Clerk Of the Year award. She has served in municipal government since 1990, when she started as an assistant town clerk. During the awards ceremony, VMCTA Awards Committee Chair and Shelburne Town Clerk Diana Vachon lauded Wolf-Ludwig’s commitment to education, noting Wolf-Ludwig’s attainment of Summa Cum Laude certification from VTCMA and Master Municipal Clerk certification from the New England Municipal Clerks Institute & Academy, where she is currently a board member.
“Georgette embodies the epitome of dedication, leadership, and continuous learning in her role as Town Clerk,” Vachon explained. “Her openness and commitment to supporting fellow clerks reflect her deep respect for the organization’s history and its evolving role in municipal governance.”
Vachon joined VMCTA President and Holland Town Clerk Diane Judd to present Essex Junction’s McNamara-Hill with the Treasurer Of the Year Award. McNamara-Hill has worked in Essex Junction for nearly three decades. During the presentation, Vachon quoted extensively from the nomination paperwork submitted by eight other municipal officials in Essex Junction. Among the noted accomplishments were McNamara-Hill's management of both the village and town budgets, her stint as interim manager, and her work to unwind the finances of the two communities after the decision to separate.
Thetford’s Assistant Clerk Martie Betts received accolades as the Assistant Clerk Of the Year for her assistance in organizing remote meetings through the pandemic, engaging in the planning of and attending VMCTA and regional conferences, and her support of the Thetford Town Clerk.
Wonsor, who plans to retire at the end of the year, received an appreciation award that says “for Countless Hours Working on the Website and Star Chapter & Your Years of Leadership that Made a Difference.” She has helped lead VMCTA since 2009, including serving as president. She was specifically thanked for helping to advocate for municipal issues in the statehouse, including ensuring that clerk fees receive the necessary attention to keep pace with increasing costs. Wonsor has done all the heavy lifting for the past few legislative sessions, compiling a legislatively mandated clerk fee listing in collaboration with VLCT. She also served on the VLCT board for six years.
Jenne, who was Hartland Town Clerk for nigh on 27 years, received an appreciation award that says “For Your Countless Years of Service, Your Love of Being a Clerk, and Always Being There to Help with Anything.” Jenne was specifically acknowledged for leading the new clerk and treasurer training for VMCTA. As the current Assistant Town Clerk of West Windsor and a past president of VMCTA, Jenne has remained active with the organization even after retiring from Hartland.
While we celebrated those with long tenures as clerk and treasurer, it was a moment with some fresh faces that excited me most. I had dinner with the new clerk from Calais, Teegan Dykeman-Brown, who seemed eager to soak in as much knowledge as she could. And at one point in the program, I found myself in a circle with more than two dozen new clerks and treasurers, or assistants, with less than a year of service each, sharing ideas on how to do their jobs more effectively. Surely one of these new officials will be honored by VMCTA in the near future.
Every year I leave the VMCTA conference reminded why I took this job – I simply love the people I work for. I hope to see more of those folks at Town Fair on October 2 in Killington.
Photo collage, l-r: Fairlee Town Clerk Georgette Wolf-Ludwig, Essex Junction Treasurer Susan McNamara-Hill, Thetford Assistant Clerk Martie Betts, Killington Town Clerk Lucrecia Wonsor, and longtime Hartland Town Clerk Clyde Jenne.
All photographs were taken by Lily Provencher.