Inside This Issue
DISTRICT DIRECTORS
for 2017-2018 |
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District 1
Connie Iacobello, City of Mellen
Cindy Pritzl, Village of Butternut
Fall District meeting set for October 13th in Minong.
District 2
Tracy Carlson, Village of Baldwin
Frances Duncanson, City of Amery
Fall District meeting set for October 6th in New Richmond.
District 3
Claudia Fields, Alma Center
Michelle Loken, Village of Strum
District 4
Lois Frank, Village of Cambria
Marie Moe, City of Portage
Fall Meeting set for November 8 in Blanchardville.
District 5
Michelle Ebbert, City of Fort Atkinson
Jill Kenda-Lubetski, Village of Brown Deer
Fall Meeting set for October 26 in Oconomowoc
District 6
Cindi Gamb, Village of Kohler
Sue Born, Town of Mosel
District 7
Angie Cain, Town of Grand Chute
Vicki Tessen, Village of Kimberly
District 8
Valerie Foley, City of Rhinelander
Kendra Moraczewski, Town of Boulder Junction
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$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $
2017 WCEF RAFFLE
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AND THE WINNER WAS:
*First Prize: $2,500 To Lisa Moen of Cambridge
**Second Prize: $500 to Thomas Lund of Madison.
**Third Prize: $250 to Christina Christianson of Livingston
*The first prize was donated by the League of WI Municipalities Mutual Insurance and its agents!
**2nd & 3rd prize were donated by an anonymous WMCA member.
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A Thank You from
the Family of Bonita Zimdars
Bonita Zimdars, former Clerk of the Village of Chenequa, passed away on June 30th. Bonita's family sent the following message:
“Please thank the members of WMCA as many have remembered Bonita through the last 5 ½ years she battled this disease. She touched many people through the years and I would like to thank all of them for their thoughts and prayers." The family of Bonita Zimdars
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WMCA BENEFITS
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Are you sure you are taking advantage of all of your WMCA benefits? Click here to go to the list, click on the titles for more information.
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WMCA is on Facebook |
Search for Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association and like us.
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THE WMCA MISSION:
To be the premier source
for the personal empowerment
of municipal clerks in Wisconsin
through education, professional development, and the promotion of excellence.
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President's Message
to the
Members
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Wow – what a great conference we had at the Kalahari!! It was one of the largest attended conferences I have enjoyed and I want to thank and congratulate Past President Astrella and the 2017 Conference Committee for all their hard work in putting on such a wonderful training experience and successful event for all of us to enjoy!
Summer is teasing us that it is almost over and fall is on its way in. It’s already been almost a month since I was sworn in and the time just keeps going faster and faster. I am looking forward to an amazing year with a Board of Directors and an Association filled with amazing people. Becoming President of the WMCA is a great honor. This wasn’t something that was on my bucket list. But I looked at my mentors and how they impressed me with how they have carried themselves and the things they have taught me. This wasn’t something I ever thought I would endeavor to do. But, one thing I did learn, and firmly believe is this: if you are involved in something and you believe in it and want it to succeed, then you need to be an active participant in it, helping to make that success happen. Standing on the outside, having all kinds of opinions and voicing them to others, but never stepping to the plate for this Association that does so much for us, doesn’t work! WMCA is its members and it needs EVERYONE involved.
Being a Clerk for local government is a demanding and tough job. We all work hard for our communities and are a professional representation of them and of WMCA. If we want to be recognized as the professionals we are, and we should be, we need to start spelling ‘Clerk’ with a capital ‘C’ as a professional title. It’s time for the Wisconsin Municipal Clerk to be recognized as a professional and to help others recognize us as professionals too!
It takes a particular kind of person to be a Municipal Clerk. It seems to choose those who have it in their blood. Those who are strong enough to get through Presidential Elections, Presidential Recounts, Board member elections, changes in the dynamic of a Board/Council when only one-member changes. And those who are strong enough to weather the personal struggles it can sometimes throw at us as well. We’ve all encountered naysayers in our lives, but as you look around to your fellow members, you will also see those who have become your friends – friends for life, and your mentors, your go to people when you have something you just need to run past a fellow Clerk. The naysayers have nothing on the supporters in your life and on your journey. Your supporters are the ones who will always be there, listen to them and remember them for the super people they are for you. These are the things that make each of us the strongest, the Super Clerks! And it’s all of you, the members of WMCA, that make this Association what it is and how great it is. YOU are the Super Glue that will hold the Super Clerks together in the coming year.
Please attend our WMCA Board meetings especially when they are in your area. The tentative dates and locations are: November 3rd, West Bend; December 8th, Eau Claire; February 9th, Wisconsin Dells area; and May 11th, at the Northern training in Minocqua. The meetings will start at 11:00 am and should only last a couple of hours. And throughout the next year, give me your suggestions. Tell me when you see something great happening. Tell me when you see something that could use improving. The Association would not exist if it weren’t for you, our members. I want us, ALL of us, to be one huge team the entire year. Stick together and support each other, be professional and courteous to each other, even when disagreeing. We – you, I and all our members – are the Super Glue for the Super Clerks!!
Have a blessed and safe fall!
Barbara K.D. Goeckner WCPC/MMC
2017-18 WMCA President
bgoeckner@outlook.com
(262) 957-6435
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New WMCA Website Coming!
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We are just a couple of weeks away from launching a brand-new website through GovOffice. So please excuse the fact that some of our information on the current site is out-of-date. We will keep the Career Opportunity section current, along with District meeting information but it is rather redundant to update the other sections while setting them up in the new website. We hope you understand. If there is something you need in the meantime and cannot find, please contact Executive Director Faith Elford at coordinator@wisclerks.org.
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2017 WMCA Annual Conference Recap
Attendees Said the Conference Committee "Hit It Out of the Park"
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A record 420 WMCA Active and Government Associate members and 139 sales people from 54 different companies attended this year's conference and/or the pre-conference day at the Kalahari Resort and Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells in August.
In between the 21 possible hours of education there was time for some fun and honoring of the best of the best in the 2016-2017 WMCA year. Here is a recap of the clerks and associates we honored.
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VILLAGE CLERK JULEE HELT
RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
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Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin - August 24, 2017 - The Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association (WMCA) awarded Waunakee Village Clerk Julee Helt the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at their annual conference in Wisconsin Dells on August 24, 2017.
Ms. Helt is a Wisconsin Certified Professional Clerk as well as a Master Municipal Clerk. Julee has served as President of the WMCA, Region Director for the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), is a Certified Trainer for Board of Review and for elections. She has been instrumental in providing feedback and assisting in the initial implementation of the statewide voter registration system and has been an instructor at the Clerk’s Institute providing training on elections to attendees. Julee also served as a Co-Chair of the 2014 IIMC Conference held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Julee has served the Village of Waunakee as their Village Clerk since 2000. “She exhibits great care and concern for this community and everyone who calls Waunakee home” stated Village Administrator Todd Schmidt. She strives to create efficiencies within her office, and is an active member of her community. Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell said “She is an innovator, motivator, mentor and a wonderful example of a true public servant.”
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Ross Hein Receives
Honorary Membership
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One of my final duties as President was to award an Honorary Membership to WMCA to an individual, who, quite frankly could step in and be one of us. When I was thinking about who to award the membership to, the first person to come to my mind was Ross Hein (formerly) of the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Ross had been with the WEC for almost 12 years and stepped many of us through training with SVRS, appeared at countless WMCA District meetings to update us on law changes from year to year.
Not only did Ross teach us, he also provided us with some laughter while doing it! I can recall many instances where he would crack a joke and make the whole room light up with a funny punchline. While we all miss him in our world; he will always be a part of it as an honorary member of the Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association. It was my privilege to present him with his membership at our conference in August. The best part was he had no idea of the surprise and was completely shocked! Please join me in congratulating him as an official member of the WMCA!
Chris Astrella WCPC, Past President
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Members Were Honored at an Awards Luncheon at the Conference
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Several Clerk and deputy members that were honored at the first ever Awards Luncheon on Wednesday at the 2017 Conference.
Members were recognized for earning their WCPC or WCMC certifications or IIMC certifications in the last year. We also recognized the clerks and deputies that have been on the job for 25 years! Professional Education Certificates were handed out to honor members for their hours of education attended in the last year. Click here to bring up the full list.
Lastly, see the list of the lucky clerks and deputies that have retired from their clerk career in the last 12 months.
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Thank You Associate Members for Your Generosity and Support of the WMCA
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Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. We cannot thank our Associate members enough for their continuing support and generosity to our Association but we did let the conference attendees know what they have done. Click here for the list and see what our Associates have done for us in just the last year. The next time you are doing business with one of these companies, please give them your personal thank you, too.
You should also note the local businesses listed on the second page. We received over 100 door prizes that were given out during the President’s Tailgate Party from those local sponsors.
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President's Awards of Excellence
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Last, but certainly not least – the President’s Awards of Excellence were handed out at the Banquet. President Astrella thanked several members and his family for their support in his career and during his presidential year. The honorees were:
Debra Michael WCMC/CMC, Clerk/Treasurer for the Village of Summit
Mike Wolf, Administrator/Clerk/Treasurer for the Town of Blooming Grove
Michelle Ebbert WCPC, Clerk/Treasurer for the City of Fort Atkinson
Gina Gresch WCPC/MMC, Clerk for the Town of Lisbon
Tanya O'Malley WCPC, Deputy Clerk for the Village of McFarland
Nancy Zastrow WCMC/CMC, Clerk/Treasurer for the Town of Ixonia
Lisa Trebatoski, Clerk/Treasurer for the Village of Johnson Creek
Julie Astrella, President Astrella’s wife
Charlotte Astrella, President Astrella’s Sister
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Electronic Election Outcome
Regarding
the 2017-01 Resolution |
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The electronic election to vote on the resolution to the WMCA Constitution closed on August 9th. 503 out of the eligible 1,241 Active members voted. The vote was 479-Yes and 24-No. The following resolution passed:
WMCA RESOLUTION #2017-01
WHEREAS, at the May 5, 2017, WMCA Board of Directors meeting a motion was made and seconded to approve the newly-revised and codified Constitution:
Articles 6 has been revised with the addition of 6.8 Attendance by technology.
While in person attendance is encouraged, any and all members of the WMCA Board may attend, participate in discussion, and vote on any matter before the Board by use of telephone or other conferencing technology when at the discretion of the individual board member, they determine they have the need to do so.The Executive Director is responsible for making sure technology is available at all meetings.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the WMCA Board of Directors recommends approval of the newly-revised and codified Constitution as presented.
Adopted this 5th day of May 2017.
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One More Thank You to Our Major Conference Sponsors
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Our Associate members support the WMCA by purchasing ad space in our E-Newsletters and on our website. Remember the next time you need to buy new equipment or services, see what the WMCA Associates have to offer.
[Contact the WMCA Office for details for posting your ad here.] |
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