Greer Making a Difference in Important Role

When I called Harrison Town Clerk Jackie Greer to schedule our interview, her voice was so raspy I asked if she had a summer cold.

“Not a cold,” she said, “I think I’m just exhausted.”

The days of easy-going municipal jobs with too much staff and too little to do are long gone; and the town clerk’s office is evidence of that. Greer works 80-hour weeks, checking e-mails at 6 a.m., attending work meetings and functions at night and typing up the minutes when she arrives home, often until 2 a.m.

Greer defines the position of Town Clerk as “keeper of records” and she takes minutes at public meetings as well as keeping the town website updated, being responsible for all archives and providing everything from general information, Freedom of Information requests and permits for town residents.

“Every piece of paper from the town comes in and out of this office at some stage, as well as us having a constant flow of resident visits,” she said.

Greer has been in office for six months, as well as working for a month unofficially following her election because of the vacancy left after death in 2011.

“The staff had done an incredible job of maintaining the office and its daily work, but there were initiatives and updates that needed immediate attention and that extra month helped to get things moving,” Greer explained.

Stepping into a position previously held by one of the town’s most beloved and inspirational residents was no easy task, added Greer. She is also a lifelong Harrison resident and had been a friend of Acocella’s. Both points inspire her to work even harder.

“I knew what a special person Joey was and that he was the core that held this office together," she said. "I also knew that we would really need to work to build the team again, plus follow through on all the initiatives Joey had started.”

Greer herself is no stranger to overcoming hardship. Her husband died in 2000, just seven weeks after his diagnosis with lymphoma. At that time her daughter was only ten. Greer worked part-time while her daughter was young and her resume also included full-time positions as an administrative assistant at Coke-a-Cola and Chemwell.

Greer had also been active in local politics prior to running on the . She was a local district leader, and had collected signatures for the Republican Party, including for Acocella. But Greer had no municipal work experience and that created a fast learning curve.

“In January I went with the mayor to a training session for newly-elected officials held in Albany. That gave me a lot of information to start on and I brought that back with me and began by implementing the information I received there,” she explained. 

Since then, Greer has added labor-intensive initiatives to the workload, including updating the town's website and making changes to town code to institute Acocella’s “No Knock Registry” initiative, which limits solicitations to homes registered.

“The No-Knock registry has had a huge response, with over 500 residents already registering,” Greer said. “We are hoping to have the new town website up and running by the end of August. It will have online compliant forms, permit applications and credit card payment options. It is the first time the website has been updated in ten years.” 

Greer has two full-time staffers and part-time workers to manage the archives department and help with these initiatives. 

But Greer’s favorite part of the job is the interaction her position allows her with residents.

“I love communicating with each of the residents and try to come out and meet every person who comes into our office,” she said.

She also loves the teamwork and positive feeling that she says permeates town hall.

"The mayor set out to create a positive work environment based on mutual respect and trust and that has been achieved," she said. "You can feel it throughout the whole building.” 

Coming from the private sector, Greer’s only frustration is the slower pace of getting things completed in the government sector.

“I want everything done immediately,” she said, laughing. “But there is a public process and a legislated way of doing things that has to be followed and that can take a lot longer."

Greer promises that that won't stop her or her staff.

"We just keep putting in the hours and persevere until it gets done," she said. "It’s all good!”