HomeMy WebLinkAboutREPORT OF THE TOWN CLERK-2007 ANNUAL TOWN REPORT REPORT OF THE TOWN CLERK- 2007
I respectfully submit my report as Town Clerk for 2007.
Our Annual Town Election on March 27, 2007 reelected Rosemary Connelly Smedile for
her third term on the Board of Selectmen. Christine Allen was elected to the North
Andover School Committee for a three year term and John J. Driscoll to the North
Andover Housing Authority for a five year term. Our Annual Town Meeting was held on
May 14, 15,21 and dissolved on June 4, 2007. This meeting dealt with many complicated
issues including the 40R project at 1600 Osgood Street and a proposed override election.
Town Meeting acted on these many complicated articles with all issues submitted to the
Attorney General approved and enacted into law.
The Town Clerk's office successfully administered a Special Election on June 19, 2007
with 7,924 voters (47%) casting their ballots in a successful override vote allowing
$1,650,000 to be assessed. Planning and departmental cooperation made for a smooth
election day.
The Town Clerk's Office as a passport agency brought in over $36,000 in revenue to the
Town and provided outstanding service to applicants. Our office was especially
challenged to have to go to extraordinary means to get passports processed. The back log
at Passport processing agencies required constant intervention by our office to get our
residents to their planned destinations. By year-end processing had returned to normal
time frames. The Boston Passport Agency, Congressman John Tierney's office, and my
office staff worked together to accomplish this.
The Town Clerk's Office recorded 304 births, 278 deaths, and 84 marriages in 2007. We
also continue to issues Fishing and Hunting licenses as many cities and towns no longer
provide. We continue our efforts as the information hub of the Town. Through enhanced
electronic and web-based technology to better record keeping and information retrieval,
we strive to meet the needs of our community. Document preservation, scanning and
indexing records for retrieval and research are all in our plans for the future.
A very successful year for business expansion and compliance is a result of the dedicated
work of Janet Eaton, Assistant Town Clerk. She is responsible for Licensing for the
Board of Selectmen and making the permitting process a pleasant experience. An
expanded Dog Licensing program assures proper licensing and rabies compliance for
over 2,000 dogs. Karen Fitzgibbons continues to provide outstanding service and
expertise as our responsibilities and mandates expand. Grace Ruelle is a shared position
with our Assessor's Department and provides the support assistance in all our service
functions. Harold Dushame, our tireless volunteer, assists our residents and his
assistance with census and voter updates and registration is invaluable.
The Town Clerk's office continues to seek improvements to our service delivery. We
again thank the people of North Andover for their support and assistance in our diverse
projects.