In the public eye: Raymond’s new Town Clerk ready for challenges of job

Editor’s note: This is another in an ongoing series of Windham and Raymond town employee profiles.

By Ed Pierce

Melanie Fernald takes her new role as Raymond Town Clerk and Registrar of Voters very seriously and it’s a job that not only requires meticulous attention to detail, but also being polite and cordial to everyone she meets.

Melanie Fernald began serving as the Raymond Town
Clerk and Registrar of Voters on April 1 and oversees
the maintenance of town records for births, deaths, and
marriages. She also prepares minutes and agendas for
town boards and committee meetings conducts state
and town elections and certifies ballot questions and
candidate petitions. SUBMITTED PHOTO 

In some ways, Fernald is the face of the town as she oversees the maintenance of town records for birth, death and marriages and prepares the minutes and agendas for town board and committee meetings as Town Clerk. As Registrar of Voters, she prepares the materials for state elections and town meetings, ensuring that all state and federal regulations are followed every step of the way, and certifying petitions for ballot questions and candidates.

If that wasn’t enough, she also manages the issuance of business, liquor, dog, hunting and fishing licenses and registers motor vehicles and processes tax payments.

She started her new job April 1, succeeding Susan Look, who was appointed Raymond Town Manager earlier this year.

“We tend to see people in the highest and lowest points in their lives,” Fernald said. “I love seeing new parents come in for their baby's birth certificate or happy couples come in for a marriage license. But we also issue death certificates when a loved one has died. I take pride in knowing I’ve done something small to help people navigate those moments.”

Originally from Westbrook, she went to Westbrook schools, then left to attend college at University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire where she studied psychology and earned a bachelor’s degree. Years later, she went back to school at Hesser College in Portsmouth and earned an associate degree in paralegal studies.

After serving as an Assistant City Clerk for two and a half years in Westbrook, she worked for three and a half years as Westbrook’s Deputy City Clerk. Before that, Fernald was a Legal Assistant for two County Attorney offices for criminal prosecutions in New Hampshire.

“I saw the ad for Town Clerk in Raymond and felt ready for the next challenge in my career,” she said. “I have known the former Town Clerk, Sue Look, for years through mutual networking groups, and jumped at the chance to come here, knowing she'd still be around for support. Her knowledge-sharing is invaluable as I adjust to the differences between working for a city government and a town government.”

According to Fernald, balancing all her duties is the most challenging aspect of her work.

“There are so many tasks to complete, so many people to assist and many interruptions due to the wide variety of tasks,” she said. “A small town’s clerk office staff handles an even wider range of responsibilities than larger communities, where there’s a bigger staff and more people to carry the load. I have some new things to learn here that I didn’t handle in Westbrook.”

Her family has been supportive of her accepting the job as Raymond Town Clerk and Registrar of Voters.

“We are most excited about how short my commute will be to and from the camp this summer,” she said. “My grandfather built a camp on Crescent Lake when my mom was a baby, and I always wish for more time there every summer. Working in Raymond will help make that dream come true.”

As she settles into her new job, Fernald is confident that everything she has learned to this point will lead to success.

“I’ve heard Municipal Clerks referred to as the ‘Swiss Army knives of their communities’ and that feels like an accurate description. “The amount of information we need to learn to be able to assist residents, property owners, business owners, and visitors is vast,” she said. “The clerk’s office tends to be the link between residents and government. If we don’t know the answers, we need to know the other resources to direct them to find their answers. I’m currently focusing on what makes the community of Raymond different and special. Every community has its own personality; spending more time here will help me learn more about Raymond’s residents and visitors.” <

Windham Town Council appoints volunteers to positions

BABB'S BRIDGE BEING REMOVED FROM HISTORIC PLACES LIST 

By Ed Pierce

Mahatma Gandhi believed that the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others through volunteering.

The original Babb's Bridge from the 19th
century was destroyed by fire in 1973. A
replacement bridge was built in 1976. As
a result, the bridge is being removed from
the National Register of Historic Places.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

To that end, two Windham residents have been appointed by the Windham Town Council to fill existing vacancies on town boards and for a town position during a council meeting on Feb. 24.

All of the appointments are voluntary positions.

Judy Vance was appointed by the council to serve as the Windham Registrar of Voters for a two-year term.

Vance is Windham’s deputy town clerk and has volunteered as the town’s Registrar of Voters since Dec. 12, 2002.

Under state law, municipal officers are required to appoint a Registrar of Voters for two-year terms and Vance was recommended for the appointment by Windham Town Clerk Linda Morrell.

“Judy has years of experience and has always done a wonderful job in this position,” Morrell said.

Shonn Moulton was appointed by councilors to serve on the Windham Planning Board for a one-year term.

Moulton is a real estate professional and is a former town councilor in Gorham.

Members of the Windham Appointments Committee interviewed Moulton on Jan. 24 and forwarded to the council a recommendation for this appointment. The Windham Land Use Ordinance stipulates that when there is a vacancy, town municipal officers shall appoint a person to serve the remainder of the unexpired term.

The Windham Planning Board has seven members, and one alternate member who serve three-year terms. The planning board is authorized to review and to take action regarding site plans for major developments in Windham; review subdivision plans and land use ordinances and zoning amendments; and review developments in shoreland zones.

During the Feb. 24 council meeting, Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts also informed councilors that Babb’s Bridge is being removed from the National Register of Historic Places.

Tibbetts said his office had received a letter from Kirk Mohney of the Maine State Historic Preservation Office indicating that information recommending that the covered bridge over the Presumpscot River be removed from the list was being sent to Washington, D.C.

The original Babb’s Bridge was thought to have been built in 1843 and was the oldest covered bridge in Maine. It was first listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and was originally named for a family living nearby.

However, a fire set by vandals in 1973 destroyed the bridge and it was subsequently rebuilt on the same site in 1976 as part of a community effort using donated construction materials and labor and featuring bridge techniques thought to been used in construction of the original Babb’s Bridge in the 19th century. <

In the public eye: Windham Registrar of Voters and Deputy Town Clerk Judy Vance loves working with people

Judy Vance has worked in the Windham 
Town Clerk's Office for 24 years and serves
as Windham's Registrar of Voters and 
Deputy Town Clerk. SUBMITTED PHOTO

By Elizabeth Richards

Editor’s note: This is another in an ongoing series of Windham and Raymond town employee profiles.

Judy Vance is a familiar face in the town clerk’s office.  For 24 years, the Windham native has served as registrar of voters and a deputy town clerk.

Her job is a busy one, Vance said, which includes processing all vital records along with hunting, fishing and business licenses, and running two elections per year, with an occasional special election.  Her department also helps as needed with processing registrations for motor vehicles, boats, ATVs, and snowmobiles, as well as processing taxes, she said.

“It seems like every day we’re learning something new,” Vance said, even though she’s been on this job for so long.  Things are coming up regularly that she didn’t know was possible, she said, often regarding motor vehicle registration and taxes

.“I love to work with people,” Vance said when asked what she liked most about her job.  She also enjoys the hours of operation, and her teammates.  The people she works with are a big part of her love for her job, she said.

The office is normally open from 8 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday. A week to seven days before elections, they stay open until 7 p.m. one evening to allow for voter registration, address changes and requesting absentee ballots, Vance said. 

During an election, Vance said she and Linda Morrell, the town clerk, are at the polls while the other two deputy clerks keep the office running.  Absentee ballots are normally offered thirty days prior to an election. Processing these can keep things busy, she said. This was especially true during the presidential election last year.

Work in the clerk’s office can be quite detailed, Vance said, especially when processing births, deaths and marriages, which require certification. People can also get married right at the town office, she said.

“We normally ask for a little bit of notification, but if someone comes in and they apply for a marriage license and say “Hey, what are the chances of getting married right now?” we try to accommodate them and try to make them happen,” she said. “People love it.” During COVID, she said, these spontaneous marriages happened more frequently.

Overall, COVID didn’t change a lot of their operations, Vance said. “We were only closed for a very short time,” she said. The office reopened to the general public in May 2020. While many municipalities are still requiring appointments, Vance said, appointments are not required in Windham. People are welcome to walk in.

For Vance, the job doesn’t pose many challenges.

“The most recent challenge was the presidential election, and it wasn’t really a challenge,” she said, though it required working many nights and weekends. “The whole election went very smoothly, and it was enjoyable for the most part,” she said. The clerk’s office has a lot of help both from a roster of volunteers and employees in registration and taxes. “We appreciate each and every one of them for their help,” Vance said.

Every once in a while, Vance said, a problem arises that leaves a customer unhappy.

“We do everything in our power to help them and make their transaction or resolve their problem so things go smoothly,” Vance said. “I can certainly understand that people have a bad day here and there. We try to work through everything and there’s really not a whole lot for challenges, for me,” she said.

Vance was raised in Windham and is a graduate of Windham High School and the University of Southern Maine. She married her high school sweetheart and will celebrate her 39th wedding anniversary this week.

Vance and her husband remained in Windham, where they raised two daughters. Her daughters live in the same neighborhood as Vance with their significant others and children. Living in the same neighborhood as her children and their families, including four grandchildren, is “amazing,” Vance said.

“It’s wonderful. I’m lucky,” she said.

When not working, Vance said she likes to try to keep up with her grandchildren. Her family enjoys boating and riding ATVs, she said.

Her husband has several Street Rods, including some that he’s built, and they spend a lot of time going to Street Rod shows, Vance said. She also enjoys walking and gardening in her spare time. <