This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
12/13/2017 07:30 AMAnyone who has ever called the Clinton Town Hall looking for an answer to a question but wasn’t quite sure who to ask has probably spoken with Mary Schettino, the administrative assistant in the First Selectmen’s Office.
Mary has worked in her current role since 2008. She says her job allows her to be involved in “all facets,” of the town’s government.
“People come to me first,” says Mary.
Some of those facets include staying on top of budgets, helping direct people to job postings, updating the website, and clerking a number of meetings.
“It changes every day,” Mary said of her job duties.
Mary says her main goal is to make sure that the first selectman has everything he or she needs and to “help whoever is in that seat execute their job to the best of their ability.”
Given the all-encompassing nature of her job, and the likelihood that something unexpected can pop up at any time, some may be surprised to hear that those unusual circumstances are her favorite part.
“It’s never the same job every day. Something always happens,” says Mary. “I’m not doing the same monotonous things.”
Mary points to the time that Town Hall was used as shelter during a hurricane while the town was without power, and water was distributed to those who needed it. Another example of an unexpected twist in Mary’s day arose this year when, due to some medical issues, a young girl named Ava had to miss Halloween. As a result, Ava’s mother asked if there was any way she could bring Ava to the Town Hall for a belated trick-or-treat—Mary helped facilitate Ava’s visit. (For more on Ava and her special day, visit www.zip06.com.)
As for Mary’s least favorite aspect of her job, she concedes that it can be hard to keep on top of everything that’s going on.
“It can be tough focusing at the task in hand,” says Mary. “They all pile up.”
In addition to her activity in the First Selectman’s Office, Mary also works as a clerk for the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance, and Morgan Building Committee meetings. There she works to take accurate notes of the meetings so that the minutes of the meeting can be uploaded.
That busy schedule helps Mary have a detailed understanding of all that is going on in Clinton.
“It helps to get a grasp,” Mary says.
As an administrative assistant since 2008, Mary has had the unique experience of working with three different first selectmen: Willie Fritz, Bruce Farmer, and the newly elected Christine Goupil.
“Everyone has a different style,” says Mary.
Mary says she does “anything I can to get them up to date and do what’s best for Clinton,” adding that most often her role is providing the history of an issue. Providing timelines for projects, most notably budgets, is another way she assists.
The town budget process “is such a huge commitment, so you need to start on time,” Mary says.
Though she’s now integral to Town Hall, Mary didn’t always want to be involved in town government.
“It’s just something I came across,” Mary says.
She’s also had the advantage of an outside perspective.
“My brother works in Woodbridge in municipal government, and he was helpful for me with any questions I had,” she says.
Before working in the First Selectman’s Office, Mary worked in the Water Pollution Control Office in Town Hall part time, starting in August 2006. It was in that summer that Mary and her family moved to Clinton from Branford. Mary had been a stay-at-home mom and working part time, but she and her husband Rick wanted to move somewhere where their kids, Christopher and Anthony, had a house and a yard to enjoy.
After her sister-in-law told her about “how good the school system was,” Mary and Rick decided to move to Clinton.
“I love being on the shoreline, and I love working in Town Hall. It’s like a family in there,” says Mary.