Clerk of the Year

Each year, the MAMC board distributes the “call for nominations” for the honor of being voted MAMC City, Township and Village Clerk of the Year.

The nomination notice is mailed to the Chief Elected Official of all cities, townships and villages. The notice is placed on the MAMC website, advertised in the MAMC quarterly newsletter and listed with and sent to MML and MTA. After the nominations are received, all of the candidates are notified. If candidates wish to be considered for placement on the ballot, they must agree to complete the official questionnaire and be willing to provide MAMC with a current photograph.

When the nominees complete and return their questionnaire and resumes, they are reviewed by the appropriate nominating committee. The last three Clerks of the Year in each category, City, Township and Village, serve on the nominating committee. The committee uses the criteria outlined in the call for nomination to determine the candidates that will be placed on the ballot. In each category, the nominating committee can select up to five candidates for placement on the ballot.

The candidates are then notified of the Clerks who are selected for placement on the ballot. Photographs and the biographies are assembled and placed on the MAMC website. The ballot is available on the website for ease of voting and paper ballots are available upon request as well.

Members vote, mail the ballots, and the committee meets and counts the ballots using Michigan’s absentee ballot procedures to ensure secrecy and accuracy. The Clerks of the Year awards are presented at the annual conference in June.

View the official 2012 Clerk of the Year Announcement

Download the official 2012 Clerk of the Year Nomination Form

Chris Swope, CMC, City of Lansing, Ingham County

Mr. Swope has served as City Clerk for the City of Lansing since January 2006. Prior to being elected Clerk, Mr. Swope served on several local boards at the municipal and county level, including the Lansing Mayor’s Police/Community Relations Advisory Committee, the East Lansing Human Relations Board, and the Clinton-Eaton-Ingham Community Mental Health Board. At the county level, Mr. Swope also served for five (5) years as a County Commissioner.

In 2006, Mr. Swope joined MAMC and he completed the Clerks Institute in 2008. He has been a member of the MAMC Legislative Committee since 2006, is a member of the Council of Election Officials (CEO) and has testified before the legislature on MAMC’s behalf numerous times. Mr. Swope is a member of the MAMC Board currently serving as the Conference Director, from which he has planned MAMC’s 2009 & 2010 Annual Conferences as well as the IIMC Region V Conference held last fall. Mr. Swope is a member of IIMC, is the Vice-President on the board of the Capitol Area Municipal Clerks Association and a member of the Michigan Judges Retirement Board.

Mr. Swope enhanced the City’s website, implemented a listserv for Lansing’s City Council agendas and minutes, and accomplished a system for posting full City Council packets to the Internet for Lansing’s residents. Regarding elections, Mr. Swope has successfully implemented the Electronic Poll Book, more than doubled the number of voters on the permanent absentee voter list, revised the receiving board processes, improved the inspector training program, rearranged precincts reducing the number from 62 to 43 and revised training for voter registration staff. He recently assisted the Bureau of Elections in developing an RFP for maintenance contacts for tabulators and AutoMarks.

Besides his major clerking responsibilities, Mr. Swope reaches out to various news media promoting elections and voter registration issues. He has spoken to local groups and given demonstrations on the voter equipment. Mr. Swope has worked with legislators helping them understand the needs of the clerk community and the impact of various decisions on clerks and voters.

Mr. Swope is described as a tireless worker committed to the integrity of the voting process, with a long history of community and public service. He leads by example and believes in his staff, their education and ability to fully understand the democratic process.

Carolyn Boersma, CMC, Spring Lake Township, Ottawa County

Ms. Boersma was elected as Township Clerk in 2004 and previously was a Council member of the Village of Kent in 1998 and served as President of the Council in 2000 and 2002. Ms. Boersma was re-elected as the Spring Lake Township Clerk in 2008.

As Clerk, Carolyn has made a significant impact on the Township by updating software for preserving cemetery records, creating a network for daily data backup, creating the Township’s first Website, setting up a collaborative working relationship with Ottawa County for online tax, water and sewer bill payments, established the need for an internal controls committee, the development of financial policy, she brought payroll in house, and revised health care provisions and costs to be in line with current market while still providing the benefits. She also added a new 457 Plan, which is available to all employees of the township. Ms. Boersma worked with the Treasurer to diversify township money into a variety of investment opportunities. She codified the township ordinances, created a user-friendly election training manual, recruited and trained new precinct inspectors and organized township records consistent with the appropriate retention schedules.

Ms. Boersma is active with the Coast Guard organization and she supports municipal functions regionally. Her hard work at the Township has earned the MTA Township of Excellence Award for her two terms in office. She was nominated in 2010 for the 2010 Lakeshore Athena Award. Professionally, Carolyn maintains memberships in the IIMC, the West Michigan Regional Clerks Association, and Ottawa County Clerks Association. She is the past president of the Chamber of Commerce and is an elected Director on the MAMC Board, currently serving as 3rd Vice President. She belongs to the National Notary Association and was recognized by the National Association for Professional Women as “Woman of the Year in 2010” and VIP of the Year, 2011 in Cambridge Who’s Who.

Ms. Boersma says she thoroughly enjoys the administrative duties of being a Clerk in addition to taking part of the vision and policy making decisions that make a great community.

Arlene Nichols, CMC, Village of Lake Orion, Oakland County

Ms. Nichols began her municipal career in 1990-1993 as a Planning Commission member. She also served as the Assessor in the City of Owosso and continues to take classes to keep current her Level III assessing license. She has been the Clerk of the Village of Lake Orion since July1994. During the absence of the Village Manager, she served as Interim Village Manager.

Arlene is currently a member of the IIMC, MAMC and Oakland County Clerks’ Association. Ms. Nichols also holds a Real Estate salesperson license. She believes that her municipal positions along with her salesperson license has provided her with knowledge regarding legal descriptions, easements, tax assessments, property surveys and zoning regulations. She shares this knowledge with the residents and business community to help them understand the role of local government.

Her duties include village elections, meeting agendas, packets and minutes for all Boards and Commissions, maintenance of all records, publishing all required notices, maintains insurance coverage for the village, reviews documentation of insurance coverage submitted by prospective contractors and organizations to ensure sufficient coverage, maintains personnel records and maintains all of the Ordinance records. She also serves as Confidential Secretary to Village Council and Village Manager.

Ms. Nichols is a member of the American Business Women’s Association and is a member of the Lake Orion United Methodist Church.