Great Barrington — A successor to Great Barrington’s longtime town clerk has been found, and officials didn’t have to go very far to find her.
Town manager Mark Pruhenski announced Wednesday that Jennifer Messina would replace Marie Y. Ryan, who left earlier this month to become town administrator in West Stockbridge.
Messina has worked for the town since 2008. She is currently the assistant director at the Council on Aging and will begin her new position shortly. Before her post at the senior center, Messina was a member of the support staff in the office of former town manager Jennifer Tabakin. The details of Messina’s exact start date have yet to be worked out, Pruhenski said. Other terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed.
Pruhenski selected Messina from a pool of 14 applicants and announced the appointment to staff this week. In a statement announcing the new hire, Pruhenski said, “Jenn has over a decade of municipal experience and is a valued team player. We’re very much looking forward to her return to town hall. I’m certain she’ll be able to transition smoothly into this position within a few weeks.”
“I’m looking forward to my new role within the town and continuing to serve the residents of Great Barrington,” Messina said.
The town clerk is the keeper and disseminator of most public records in the town. Everything from vital statistics to public notices to business certificates are maintained in the clerk’s office. In Massachusetts, the town clerk is also a highly visible public figure whose office oversees elections in the town.
The clerk also serves as the records access officer and website manager, overseeing an assistant and several volunteers during elections and town meetings. In some municipalities, town clerks are elected officials, but in Great Barrington, it’s an appointed position.
To some residents, Messina is better known as Jennifer Bailly. She now uses the surname Messina.
