A Proclamation, issued by the City of Milford on April 25, 2022, proclaimed the week of May 1 through May 7, 2022 as " Professional Municipal Clerks Week."
Unanimously adopted by Milford City Council, the Proclamation extended appreciation to all Municipal and Deputy Clerks for the services they provide their communities. Specifically, the Proclamation cited that the Clerk "serves as the professional link between the citizens, the local governing bodies and agencies of government at other levels."
The Proclamation presented on behalf of City Clerk Teresa K. Hudson, MMC and Deputy City Clerk Katrina White, CMC, was signed by Mayor Archie Campbell. It also honored Municipal and Deputy Clerks for "continually striving to improve the administration of their duties through participation in education programs, seminars, workshops and annual meetings of their State, Regional and International Professional Organizations."
The International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), a professional organization of worldwide City, Town, Township, Village, Borough, Deputy and County Clerks, sponsors Municipal Clerks Week. IIMC has 14,700 members throughout the United States, Canada and 15 other countries.
IIMC President Sheri Pierce, MMC, and the City Clerk for the City of Valdez, Alaska, urges Municipal and Deputy Clerks to highlight the importance of their roles and functions and the impact the Municipal Clerk's office has on the public.
Quoting Professor William Bennett Munro—author of one of the first textbooks written on the topic of municipal administration—Pierce shares, "No other office in municipal service has so many contacts. It serves the Mayor, the City Council, the City Manager, and all administrative departments, without exception. All of them call upon it, almost daily, for some service or information.”
"The functions of the Clerk necessitate a thorough knowledge of law procedure, administration and interpersonal relations.” Pierce further challenges Clerks to fervently pursue continuing education opportunities and professional networking to “establish [their] proper role as a member of the municipal executive team.”
After working in municipal government for 19 years, Ms. Hudson was appointed City Clerk for the City of Milford in July 1997 and earned her Master Municipal designation in 2012. A 20+ year member of the Delaware Municipal Clerks Association, she also currently serves as a member of the IIMC International Board, representing Region Two, that consists of the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania. She is also the Vice Chair of IIMC’s 2022/2023 Research & Resource Committee and participates in the Model Mentoring Program.
Ms. White was appointed the Town Clerk of Dewey Beach in April 2010 where she served in that position for 3 years. In 2013, she was offered and accepted a position in the Clerk’s Office in Milford. She also spent a period of time in the Planning and Zoning Department, but chose to return to City Hall after being promoted to Deputy City Clerk in January 2021. She continues to focus on IIMC’s mission and has since completed the Certified Municipal Clerk program. She is presently seeking the second and more advanced professional designation that includes an extensive and rigorous educational component and a professional contribution component that prepares successful candidates for more complex municipal duties.
Ms. White is also active in the Employee Awards & Recognition Committee, Delaware Municipal Clerks Association and the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC).