May 4-10 is Municipal Clerks Week, according to the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, the leading professional association serving the needs of municipal clerks, treasurers, fiscal officers and recorders in cities and townships.

“I’m doing what I like to do,” said Kathy Witwer, New Franklin’s clerk-treasurer.
Green’s Clerk of Council Molly Stephens said many people don’t understand the duties and responsibilities of a municipal clerk.

“Some people think a clerk is just a secretary,” said Stephens. “But the clerk is the one responsible for following laws. We work with citizens who are elected to office and most don’t know the laws.”

Stephens said record keeping is an important portion of her job. “I have minutes of meetings dating back to the 1800s. A clerk keeps minutes of meetings. We have to keep the minutes in such a way that they are clear and concise and explain how the council came to their decisions.”

Witwer, who also serves as the treasurer, said she has the best of both worlds. She gets to work with numbers, which she loves and she gets to work with citizens.

“I understand the numbers,” said Witwer. “It’s a challenge to enable people to understand those numbers. That’s hard for me.”   

Stephens will serve as the president of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks for Summit, Medina and Portage counties.