Town of Westville

1986 Graduate from Franklin Academy High School with a Regents Diploma

Attended SUNY Potsdam from 1986 to 1988

Obtained her Paralegal Degree in 2003

Paralegal for Fischer, Bessette, Muldowney & McArdle, LLP since June of 1993

Town Clerk for the Town of Westville since January 1, 2010
Secretary for the Westville Youth Program from 1991 through 2010

Notary Public since June of 1994

In March of 2020 Ann submitted a grant to the New York State Archives to create a Records Storage Facility for the Town.  Due to COVID-19, the Town did not receive the grant until June of 2021.  The Town of Westville Clerk's Office received a grant of over $28,000 to create a Records Storage Facility and to go through the Town's inactive records.  This grant included funds for shelving, a heating/cooling unit and a company to come in and determine which records were to be maintained/destroyed.  All of this was done without any cost to the taxpayers of Westville.  Ann oversaw the project and created a great space to maintain the Town's official records.

The Town Clerk is a notary at no charge to town residents.

The office of Town Clerk serves as a direct link between the residents and their local government. While Town Clerks are generally credited with issuing licenses, that is only a small part of this complex job. Many duties are mandated by law, but many more go well beyond those mandates as Town Clerks serve as a major source of information to all. A Town Clerk fills the following roles:

Public Relations Officer - Must be dedicated to the community, informative, patient, cheerful and compassionate, possess the ability to listen and advise, be receptive to new ideas, and able to maintain a sense of humor while performing duties in a professional manner. Generally considered the center of local government, this office conveys a lasting impression of the community to all who enter.

Recording Secretary - Authors minute books, the only official record of the activities of Town government. The resulting volumes are retained permanently for legal and historic purposes. Few individuals are entrusted with a responsibility of this magnitude.

Records Management Officer - Custodian of all Town records, responsible for active files, storage and disposition of inactive records and the careful maintenance of archival material. Administrator of the Freedom of information Law which guarantees our right to know the workings of government.

Filing Officer - Maintains records of adopted Town Ordinances and Local Laws, Town Oaths of Office, resignations, petitions, proof of publications, annual budgets, assessment rolls, fiscal reports, notices of lien, subpoena and court actions, bonds/notes registers, zoning ordinances and maps. Maintains public signboard, advertises and receives bids for purchase of Town materials, files burial permits from cemeteries located within the Town.

Licensing Officer - Issues State licenses/permits, including marriage, dog, going out of business, games of chance, bingo and handicapped parking. Issues Town licenses/permits mandated by Local Law (e.g. taxicabs, garbage collection, transient merchants/peddlers, junk dealers, parks, etc.)

Election Coordinator - In accordance with Federal and State regulations, the Town Clerk becomes the coordinator for Primary and General Elections, advising the State of vacancies for elections, overseeing polling places and equipment, election inspectors and filing of boundaries for election districts. In addition the Town clerk files official notices of registration day and polling places, oversees special Town elections, permissive or mandatory referendums and Town acquisition of property. The office of the Town Clerk serves as the source for voter registration forms and absentee ballot applications.

Registrar of Vital Statistics - Often is appointed keeper of all birth and death records within a community, issuing birth and death certificates, burial permits, as well as conducting genealogical searches.