LYNN — The city is seeking applicants for the position of principal clerk at City Hall.
The city’s job posting said that the ideal candidate will be bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish, and can type and proofread copy on a variety of documents such as memorandums, requisitions, certificates, and charters. The right candidate will also have to be a Lynn resident within six months of their hiring
Janet Rowe has served as city clerk since 2016, and held the assistant city clerk position for 12 years prior. She said she takes pride in the fact that the city clerk’s office was the first to hire a bilingual translator. She said that hiring bilingual clerks is an important step toward making City Hall a more welcoming place for all Lynners.
“We were the first office to have a translator available. The City Council actually created the first Spanish Speaking Clerk position by Ordinance in 1999, so we were, indeed, the first to offer this service to customers coming into the clerk’s office. We have had so many wonderful Spanish-speaking clerks since I have been here who have all gone on to higher positions. We are so proud and fortunate that all the bilingual clerks who have worked in our office were the best,” Rowe said. “It’s just a great tool for us to have, so anybody that comes here feels very welcome because they have someone speaking their own language.”
With applications closing on Sept. 30, Rowe said that the ideal candidate would be an individual who not only can handle clerical work such as typing, researching, and data entry, but also a person with excellent social skills. She said that the job requires talking to all kinds of people, many of whom may not be in a good mood.
“I absolutely need someone who has a good personality, because we deal with the public all day long. That person needs to be able to talk things through. Especially in my office, sometimes you can’t get something, because we have restricted records, and people are upset about that. We try to work it out and figure out a way to get them what they need, so I need someone that has good sense and a nice personality,” Rowe said.
Personnel Director Drew Russo said in a written statement that the position of principal clerk is essential to a wide variety of municipal sectors and that he expects a pool of qualified candidates. Russo also said that hiring a bilingual principal clerk will make City Hall more accessible to Lynn’s Hispanic community.
“We anticipate a strong candidate pool for the principal clerk position. The clerk’s office, in particular, has traditionally attracted a significant amount of interest because of the opportunity to assist Lynners with obtaining vital records, getting business licenses, registering to vote, and participating in the elective process,” Russo said. “Adding this principal clerk to their team offers a great opportunity to increase access for our Spanish-speaking community, and we strongly encourage those who are interested in working in this dynamic office and are bilingual in both Spanish and English to apply.”
Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at [email protected].
