Embedded Files
The Town Clerk has the opportunity to work closely with the Town Board to proactively make records and systems accessible and understandable. This helps our elected officials make well-informed decisions, and helps our residents keep them accountable.
Here are my ideas to connect us with the resources and information we need to run our town well.
Connect Residents to Benefits
Connect Residents to Benefits
Ulster County Septic System Replacement Program
Ulster County Septic System Replacement Program
You may be eligible for funding to replace your septic system through Ulster County’s Septic System Replacement Program if you are within 250 feet of a designated priority body of water. You could receive up to $10,000! There are no income limits, and the property does not have to be owner-occupied. Go to rupco.org/septic and scroll down to the interactive map to type your address in to see if you qualify.
Private Well PFAS Testing and Rebate Pilot in Ulster County
Private Well PFAS Testing and Rebate Pilot in Ulster County
Get free private well testing for PFAS and money back for water treatment from the New York State Well PFAS Testing and MItigation Rebate Pilot Program. Applicants in Ulster County must have their wells tested first for PFAS as part of this program to be eligible for a rebate. Click here to learn more.
Free Parking
Free Parking
Parking is a big issue for many in this town, and I want to help make that easier. Did you know that Woodstock residents can park for free at the Rock City Road parking lot? Bring proof of residence to the Town Clerk's office to receive your decal! As Town Clerk, I would publicize benefits like these to our residents.
Woodstock Municipal ID Card
Woodstock Municipal ID Card
I plan to revive a program that was passed into Town law in 2019 which would increase access to important benefits for Woodstockers. Read more here.
Connect Our Youth to Quality Summer Programming
Connect Our Youth to Quality Summer Programming
Strengthen Staffing and Improve Programming
Strengthen Staffing and Improve Programming
Did you that one of the many things the Clerk’s office is responsible for is managing our Summer Youth Program? They screen job candidates and handle the budget.
I have experience in administering youth programming that I could lend to this cause: I was Program Coordinator for a youth filmmaking education center, I produced children’s concerts for a music festival for which I was Executive Director, and I also managed a tutoring company (and was a math tutor myself!). With this background, I could play an active role in the effort to help revitalize this program for our community.
Connect the Clerk's Office to Funding
Connect the Clerk's Office to Funding
Grant Opportunities
Grant Opportunities
There is funding that can be used for initiatives in the Clerk's Office. For example, the New York State Archives offers the Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund (LGRMIF) Grants which awards money to projects for managing files, historical records, and inactive records, inactive and digitizing records.
The Clerk's Office is primed to digitize and organize its records (see here for my ideas on modernizing), and as Town Clerk, I would apply for grant funding to serve this effort. Having started my career in the arts and nonprofits, I have grant-writing experience and would use those skills to seek funding to help us with these goals.
Connect Residents to the Town Government
Connect Residents to the Town Government
Distribute and Collect Surveys
Distribute and Collect Surveys
Our Town Board and committees need to know what the community wants, and one major way we learn that is through surveys. I know from experience how hard it is to reach every corner of Woodstock and get informed feedback that fully represents our town’s interests. I want to help our Board and committees better publicize survey opportunities.
I would offer Committees the service of managing, distributing, and collecting town surveys, even creating digital platforms to support dissemination (QR codes, or websites). I think we should have an iPad in the office dedicated to letting residents fill out any surveys that are actively seeking responses when they come in for other services!
In return for this, I would collect these survey results and keep copies of them for awareness of town priorities and monitoring trends in town needs. Committees are a great resource and important way to collect feedback from the community, and I want to retain that knowledge in a way that can be used for the future.
Connect Interested Parties with Data and Trends
Connect Interested Parties with Data and Trends
Provide Data Trends and Insights
Provide Data Trends and Insights
The Town Clerk releases a lot of reports, and keeps records that the public needs to access. For our Town to make the right fiscal decisions, we need to be able easily see how we manage those funds. But data does not truly make sense until it becomes visual.
First, we need a central place to find the Clerk's monthly reports. As of this writing, I am unable to find any monthly clerk reports prior to mid-2025, and even those are buried on this Town Board page. We can better organize these and make them easier to find. A great example of this is Hurley's Town Clerk page, whose monthly reports are published in one place here.
Second, I believe that all of our reports that contain numerical data (i.e. financial reports) should also be released in spreadsheet format (.csv, .xls), in addition to PDF. Releasing data in a more accessible format allows it to be easily translated into useful charts and visualizations that can show trends over time.
I've been responsible for creating data visualizations and dashboards so that organizations can assess the impact of their programs and use data to make informed decisions. I would use those skills to publish data in an easily consumable way, so that interested parties can stay informed of our fiscal activities.
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