Deptford council issued a proclamation last month that designated April 30 to May 6 Professional Municipal Clerks Week.
The proclamation was presented to Township Clerk Dina L. Zawadski for her work and dedication to the community. She received the proclamation at council’s April 17 work session and posed for a picture with its members.
“It (the proclamation) is a yearly thing, and we present it to our clerk for her dedication,” said Mayor Paul Medany. “We’ve been doing it every year for more than 15 years now. I think it’s a great thing for them.”
According to the mayor, few people know what exactly a municipal clerk does, and their work often goes unnoticed. The proclamation acknowledges that work.
“The name does not do them justice,” Medany said of the clerk role. “Very few people know what they do, and that’s one of the reasons we recognize it. Ours runs the H.R department, elections and the different kinds of licenses.
“They’re the go-to people in the municipal world,” he said, “as in, they’re who everyone goes to.”
Clerks serve as custodians of records and are responsible for organizing meeting agendas and recording minutes. They also preserve original copies of ordinances and resolutions.
The idea for Professional Municipal Clerks Week came from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), according to its website. It started in 1969 and was endorsed by the group’s members in the U.S, Canada and 15 other countries. It is now in its 54th year.
Professional Municipal Clerks Week was officially designated for the first week of May in 1984, when then-President Ronal Reagan recognized it with a proclamation. Former President Bill Clinton signed similar proclamations in 1994 and 1996.
“The week is a time of celebration and reflection on the importance of the clerk’s office,” says the IIMC website.
