Courchesne new to job, but not town clerk’s office

In a roundabout way, Barbara Courchesne owes her new job as Springfield town clerk in part to a dog bite.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20140104/NEWS02/701049927/1003

Springfield Town Clerk Barbara Courchesne talks about her new job as she sits in her corner office on the second floor of the Town Hall behind her ceremonial antique oak desk. Photo: PHOTO BY LEN EMERYPublished January 4, 2014 in the Rutland Herald Courchesne new to job, but not town clerk’s office By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — In a roundabout way, Barbara Courchesne owes her new job as Springfield town clerk in part to a dog bite. Courchesne, who was sworn in Dec. 23, replacing Meredith D. Kelley, has been an assistant town clerk since 2008. She was originally hired by former longtime Town Clerk Bonnie G. Reynolds, who wanted to train Courchesne to be her replacement — eventually. But Reynolds retired six months later, Courchesne said, not the six years she had originally planned. Reynolds had hired Courchesne away from the Nitka-Glover law firm in Ludlow, and Courchesne had learned about that job because her then-husband had gone to the firm because he had been bitten by a dog. Martin Nitka was looking for a legal secretary, and eventually she was hired. It was through her legal research in the Springfield town office property records for Nitka for 15 years that she got to know Reynolds, Courchesne said. “So it really was six years,” said Courchesne, who said she was grateful to Kelley for the almost six years she worked with her, learning the requirements and ins and outs of the job. Kelley resigned last month. Courchesne also filled in for Kelley during her two maternity leaves. “My goal is to keep it running efficiently,” she said, “and to keep up the level of service.” Courchesne is going to have her experience tested in the first few months of the job. She’s currently getting the 2013 Town Report ready for the printer, and also sitting in on town budget hearings. She also has to hire her replacement, and she plans on having a new assistant town clerk in place before town meeting. During an interview in her corner office on the second floor of the Town Hall behind her ceremonial antique oak desk, Courchesne said she had already received 27 applications for her old job. Her priority in looking for an assistant town clerk, she said, is interpersonal skills with the public, and any experience with deeds and the tax sale process. In Springfield, the town clerk’s position is appointed, not elected, and the town clerk also fills the roles of town treasurer and delinquent tax collector. Town Manager Robert Forguites said he felt no need to advertise the position because Courchesne was already on the job, and she was interested in the job. “I recommended Barbara. She was already employed here and she had been here for more than five years. I like to see people move up. And I think she’ll do a very good job,” Forguites said. Plus, Forguites said, Reynolds, the town’s former longtime town clerk, had chosen her as her protege. “I was very grateful for the support,” Courchesne said, adding that she was pleased she could hire a replacement quickly. “We are understaffed,” she said. Another assistant town clerk, Mary Perkins, now works primarily handling the billing for the town’s ambulance, she said. Courchesne graduated from Springfield High School, graduated from Bay Path College with an associate’s degree, and also attended New England College, now the University of Western New England. Prior to her job with the Ludlow law firm, she had worked as a manager at a jewelry company at a Connecticut mall, managing a $1 million inventory. She is the mother of two children who attend Springfield High School, Meghan, a senior, and Jonathan, a freshman. As town clerk, attention to detail is of utmost importance, Forguites said. “She wears four hats — town clerk, town treasurer, delinquent tax collector, and cemetery commissioner — ex officio,” Forguites said. The nitpicky details of town government flow through the town clerk’s hands, he said. The clerk has to maintain important documents for the future, and work closely with departments of state government. “Delinquent tax collector is a busy position,” Forguites said. Courchesne said the town adopted a delinquent tax policy a few years ago under Kelley, which had led to dozens of individual tax agreements with delinquent property owners who want to avoid tax sales. In addition to March town meeting, Courchesne and her staff also have a state primary and general election later in the year. And there are also ongoing projects such as digitizing the town’s tax maps. Courchesne quickly goes through a binder of the 50-or-so individual agreements the town clerk’s office has worked out with residents, who are often in tough financial circumstances. “It gives somebody a plan, but it’s still difficult,” she said, noting the town’s delinquency rate had improved with the adopting of the policy. The town clerk works out the agreement, following the policy established by the Select Board. “It’s a policy that’s fair to everyone,” she said.