Quast’s Accessibility Has Made Her an Exemplary Town Clerk for Yorktown
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Dear Yorktown residents,
My name is Alice Roker. It was my pleasure to serve the residents of Yorktown for 25 years as town clerk and another four years as a member of the Town Board. This letter explains why I support Diana Quast for town clerk.
I hired Diana as my deputy in 2003. At that time, she was working as the deputy town clerk in the Town of New Castle. She had years of experience with computers and was technologically proficient. I knew she would embrace the changes that technological advances would bring to our corner of the world.
Before I hired anyone to be my deputy, I had to be convinced that the person could serve as the town clerk when I retired. Diana has proven my choice to be the correct one and has surpassed my expectations.
The word “transparent” is frequently used today as a buzzword when you either a) don’t know what else to pick on, or b) don’t really understand what a person’s job responsibilities are. If anyone understood the role and responsibilities of a town clerk, you would never say transparency is a goal of the office.
When I was town clerk, my main concern was not if I was transparent, but accessible to residents. There is a difference between these two words that should be understood and how they are interpreted. The town clerk, as the records access officer for the town, is by nature and by state law, a transparent position. He or she is responsible for fulfilling hundreds of Freedom of Information requests each year and is bound by law to do so.
As town clerk, I always made sure my door was open and my office was accessible for public assistance and information. Diana Quast has taken the idea of accessibility to a new level by introducing the Mobile Clerk’s Office in order to bring her services to those who need it the most – our seniors and disabled residents. She has made access to permit applications available online, not only in a downloadable format, but also a fillable format so they can be sent directly to her for processing. All public documents the town clerk is responsible for are located either on the town’s website or through a link on the website.
Don’t get caught up in the buzzword transparency because this is not, nor has ever been, an issue for the town clerk’s office. Instead, focus on the accessibility of Town Clerk Diana Quast to Yorktown residents because this is what is really important for all of us who live here.
Alice E. Roker
Yorktown
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