ORANGE – The two candidates for the Orange town clerk position support starting Town Hall apprenticeships to facilitate more involvement in the municipal process.
Incumbent Nancy M. Blackmer and challenger Michelle LeBlanc answered questions from an audience of more than 40 and from moderator Christopher Woodcock during a “Meet The Candidates Night” forum in the Orange Armory this week.
The annual town election is Monday.
A woman asked about apprenticeships and Blackmer said she once reached out to the local school system, but there was no interest among students. LeBlanc said the town must reach the younger generation “and guide them and teach them.” Both candidates said the possibility should be revisited.
Polls are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Orange Armory on Monday.
Blackmer, who moved to Orange from Whately when she got married in 1977, said she started as town clerk in January 2000 and has regularly taken additional training “to remain current” on the job, while LeBlanc said she wants to bring a breath of fresh air to Town Hall.
Blackmer explained issuing licenses and certificates is a just a fraction of what a town clerk does — stressing that the most important work is handling the town’s elections. The town’s most recent selectmen election — to replace Walter Herk, who stepped down — was held Nov. 8, the same day as the presidential election. Blackmer said this made for a complicated situation because every voter had to check in at separate tables for each election, fill out two ballots, and return the ballots at separate tables. This equated to having twice as many people inside the Orange Armory.
LeBlanc said she believes the town clerk position needs rejuvenation. LeBlanc said she is a business owner with administrative and paralegal degrees. She said she used the paralegal degree while working with a law firm for 10 years, during which she compiled, preserved and assisted people with their most trusted records. She also stressed that Town Hall is the gateway to Orange and the town clerk’s office is the unofficial welcoming center.
The Thursday forum was sponsored by the Pioneer Junior Women’s Club.
Reach Domenic Poli at:
dpoli@recorder.com or
413-772-0261, ext. 258.