Saugus town clerk to step down after nine years

SAUGUS – Town Clerk Joanne Rappa said when she stepped into her position in 2005, she had big shoes to fill as the replacement of former clerk Jean Banks.Rappa said she didn?t want the job, but Banks, whom she calls her mentor, wouldn?t give up on persuading Rappa.?She kept saying, ?You can do this,?” recalled Rappa. “She kept telling me to take it.”Nine years later, Rappa said she still isn?t sure she?s done a job worthy of Banks, but someone else may be saying that about her soon as Rappa prepares to retire in July. An article in Monday?s Special Town Meeting Warrant announced her plans to the town in the form of a financial article asking for money to train and hire a new Town Clerk.Rappa started working at Town Hall in 1996 as election coordinator before moving into the role of assistant clerk before Banks retired. Rappa said she loves her job because it?s “different every day,” but elections were the highlight of the role. Before starting a family and working at Town Hall, Rappa said she used to work at the State House, volunteering for campaigns for the likes of U.S. Sen. Edward Markey.?I love campaigning, it?s exciting,” said Rappa. Now she says her favorite elections are the local ones, because “all the people who are running you know personally.”With all her experience, Rappa said she may run to be elected as a Town Meeting member in the future. “I?ve sat at Town Meeting so many times with opinions in my head that I can?t share,” she said. “It would be fun to be on the other side of that.”Rappa said she may also return to working part-time and doing more volunteer work, but added, laughing, “I might just like doing nothing.”For now, Rappa said she wants a break taking a year off to spend time with her children, grandchildren and 94-year-old father at their new house in Maine, but most of all, travel with her husband, Steve Rappa, without the town of Saugus coming first.?We were going to Italy and had to cancel because of a presidential election,” said Rappa. “We were going to the Bahamas and had to cancel that for a special election. I want to leave now so we can spend time together.”Steve Rappa also recently left his seat on the Board of Health.Though the town is planning for someone to fill Rappa?s shoes, the community will have Rappa for a few more months as she ties up loose ends for Town Meeting. She said she will be working until about July.Rappa said though it?s time to move on, she will miss her job. “It?s been a lot of time, a lot of laughs,” she said, “A lot of changes, a lot of town managers ? I loved all time spent here. I worked with great people.”