TheReview_Sept_Oct_2021_FINAL

KALKASKA pop. 2,132

STERLING HEIGHTS pop. 134,346

P op quiz: what does a municipal clerk do? Answer: You name it—it’s probably on the list. The clerk is the Swiss army knife of municipal workers, the heavy lifter who keeps local government humming along. The occupation is as diverse as the municipalities themselves. Like the hidden gears in a complex machine, they do much of that work out-of-sight of the public eye, toiling beneath the radar to simply Get the Job Done. So, here’s a closer look into the daily lives of two of these hard-working desk soldiers, and how the past year impacted their roles. Clerk of All Trades In a rural Northern town of just over 2,000 residents, it’s no surprise that Kalkaska Village Clerk Angie Koon is pretty much a one-woman show. She spent her first seven years as a records clerk for the police department before taking on the broader duties that led to being sworn in as village clerk in 2010. Along the way she also assumed the duties of payroll clerk, utility billing supervisor, and benefits coordinator/human resources director. “As a clerk in a small community, I find myself performing duties that would likely be spread out among other staff in larger offices,” said Koon.

Municipal Clerks The Titans of Local Government

By Liz Foley

24 THE REVIEW

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021