SWAMPSCOTT — Town Clerk Susan Duplin and the town’s Director of Communications & Strategic Initiatives, Allie Fiske, will be leaving their positions in March.
Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald said both are leaving on good terms and he is sad to see them leave Swampscott.
Duplin will soon work as the town clerk for North Reading, while Fiske will work at the Community Action Program Legal Services ( (CAPLAW) nonprofit organization as part of its communications department.
“Allie has been an amazing and indispensable leader over the past two years, helping us with communication responsibility,” Fitzgerald said. “Sue has been helping us with elections for over 14 years. It will be sad to see them leave.”
Fitzgerald said the town will be entering the hiring process during the next three weeks and encourages anyone interested to apply for the two positions.
“It is never easy to lose staff,” Fitzgerald said. “We have all got to take stock in the complexity over the past few years and think about changes in the workforce.”
Duplin became the Swampscott town clerk in 2008 and has overseen more than 100 elections over the past 14 years. She said there were six elections to oversee in her first year with the town, including the presidential election.
“It was crazy,” Duplin said. “I managed to replace new voting machines that year and in 2021. That was one of my proudest moments.”
Before becoming the town clerk, Duplin served as the assistant town clerk in Winthrop, where she became interested in municipal elections. She also is a justice of the peace and has officiated weddings.
“One of the weirdest weddings I officiated was a pirate-themed wedding,” she said. “There were about 30 to 40 people there and they were all dressed as pirates. The bride and groom were as well.”
Since Duplin lives in New Hampshire, the commute to North Reading will be easier, but she said she will miss Swampscott.
“I want to thank every citizen for all the support they have given me over the past 14 years,” Duplin said. “I know they are sad to see me go, but change is a good thing. I will only give my best.”
Fiske started working in the nonprofit sector before being hired by the Town of Medford in 2016 as part of its communications department. She started working in Swampscott in 2020; she said her time with the town has been a challenging, but rewarding experience.
“It has been an amazing experience and an amazing town,” Fiske said. “We had a rough year with the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s been a real privilege to work for Swampscott.”
Fiske said she wanted to go back to nonprofit work because she is familiar with it and wants to do more in the field.
“I want to get back to my roots,” she said. “I am going to take what I have learned in Swampscott and use my skills at my new job.”
