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In every organization, there is one person who acts as the organizer, the record keeper, and inspires and cheers everyone on to achieve great things.
In addition to that, this person is the one who everyone looks to for help or a warm shoulder to lean on when needed.
For those of us who were once Boy Scouts, that person was the den mother. You remember her. She was the person who kept everything running smoothly with care and masterful coordination.
It was the den mother who led the pack and planned a calendar of activities and adventures that kept everyone engaged and eager to earn those achievement badges.
The Boy Scouts of America recognized the importance of women participating in the organization and began accepting women as den helpers in 1930. This role eventually developed into a leadership position, and by 1948, the den mother became an official part of the organization.
Now, you’re probably wondering how any of this relates to municipal government. Well, believe it or not, there is a den mother in every city hall in the Sauk Valley.
Who is the one person who leads the pack at City Hall and keeps everything organized and running smoothly with care and masterful coordination? The den mother of City Hall is the city clerk.
The city clerks of the Sauk Valley are a wonderful group of people. They are also hardworking. There are requirements they must meet to hold the office of clerk. These requirements are listed in the Illinois Municipal Code (65 ILCS 5). The Illinois Municipal Clerk Training Act also outlines several requirements that must be fulfilled to retain their certification.
City clerks handle issuing birth, marriage, and death certificates, business licenses, and administering oaths of office for police officers, firefighters, and elected officials. They also serve as the local election officials among many other duties and responsibilities.
To keep the community, city staff, employees, and elected officials informed, city clerks have mastered the internet. City websites that present information, webpages linked to meeting information, the city’s public service departments, and email accounts are one way city clerks keep everyone informed.
Another is the meeting enhancer that emerged from the pandemic years, which is the Zoom program. This computer teleconferencing tool allows city clerks to broadcast public meetings for the public’s benefit. It’s another task that city clerks have taken on in recent years.
Some communities utilize Facebook Live to broadcast their public meetings. Again, it is the city clerks who help to organize and use these tools to keep people informed of government activity.
Information storage is another task that city clerks are learning to master. In many communities, the city clerk is responsible for overseeing the digitization of older hard-copy documents and records that have been stored in file cabinets for decades.
In Sterling, there will soon be no need to keep every piece of paper in a file cabinet in the basement. These records will be digitized and stored on servers maintained in climate-controlled storage rooms.
Besides all of this, the city clerk also helps organize community events for everyone to enjoy. In Sterling, an example of that is this past weekend’s Chalk the Walk at the Grandon Civic Center. Movies in the Park, National Night Out, and Trunk or Treat also come to mind.
All of the city clerks in the Sauk Valley contribute to the activities in their communities. From Oregon to Prophetstown, city clerks play a vital role in helping to organize and plan events that are fun, educational, and attractive to residents and visitors alike.
If you didn’t know it, women hold a strong presence in the Sauk Valley city clerk’s offices. This is likely because women bring a skill set that includes intellectual strength, organizational expertise, and nurturing instincts, all of which are vital for fulfilling the duties of the clerk’s office.
Men can serve as city clerks, too, and we will not forget them. However, the majority rule, and in this municipal career field, it is women who dominate it.
If there is one person who keeps City Hall running smoothly and efficiently, it is the city clerk, and the assistant clerks, who do so.
The city clerk is the person who keeps the wheels of municipal government turning by keeping it connected, informed, motivated, and involved in the community.
On behalf of myself and all residents of the Sauk Valley, thank you to the city clerks and assistant clerks for everything you do. You are making a positive difference in every community in the Sauk Valley. Keep up the excellent work.
Jim Wise is a Sterling city councilman.