Doug Smith, the newly elected Sylvan Township clerk, is looking for assistance to learn his new job from any interested current or retired clerks.
“Due to a bitter campaign that resulted in all of the township’s incumbents being unseated, we walked into a very chaotic environment,” he wrote in a request to the city and township clerk shared information list.
“There was no cooperation between incoming and out-going officers,” the request states. “Therefore, it has been very difficult for me, personally, in trying to navigate the job of clerk,” he wrote.
Rod Branham, the new township treasurer, has had the assistance of a retired treasurer who regularly assists him “to make sense of his new position,” Smith wrote in the Jan. 24 request.
“I am sending out an SOS to any and all who may know a current or retired clerk who would be willing to offer hands on help here in Sylvan,” the request states.
This would be a paid temporary position, offering both mileage and a per-hour salary.
The need goes beyond just giving an answer to a question on the phone, he wrote.
“We really need to have an on-site person to see what we are dealing with and to help offer a strategy for helping us to move forward.”
Thank you Lisa for publishing this article. I will take real help from anyone who will offer it. At every board meeting that we have had since taking office, I have been putting out the call for help due to the challenges of the position and situation I found my self in. Again, thanks and I hope someone comes forward to help us move the township in the right direction.
Sincerely,
Doug Smith, Township Clerk