MIDDLEPORT – For over 20 years, Marie Little has been a steady presence in Royalton Town Hall as town clerk.
Whether it’s taking down meeting minutes or helping town residents, Little has been a jack of all trades for the town since taking on the post in 2002.
“I love helping people,” Little said. “I love to be able to work with everyone to solve things if we have issues, and try to resolve them for them and make things easier and a little more streamlined.”
Now, Little has taken on a new role in addition to her town clerk duties as the newly installed president of the New York State Town Clerks Association. She was sworn in for her three-year term at the organization’s annual conference in April.
Tammy Vezzose, Town of Huron clerk and 1st vice president of the organization, believes that Little’s traits coupled with her longstanding experience with the post make her the ideal leader.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with her,” Vezzose said. “She’s been an inspiration to a lot of the clerks, whether in her county or the state.”
Like several clerks in the organization, Little has moved up the ranks of the organization, having served as a district director, oversaw the Fun Time Auction for several years and also was chair of its membership program. She is also the organization’s longest-tenured member.
Likewise, Little said the association had been a big help to her throughout her career, including when she was diagnosed with Acute Myloid Leukemia in 2011.
“I was trying to run the membership program from my bed at Roswell,” Little recalled. “It was very helpful because the clerks across the state were wonderful to me and really helped me get through that period of my life.”
Since her term as president took effect earlier this month, Little said she is starting to settle into her role of being the “go-to” person for the organization.
“It’s overwhelming some days, but it’s it’s very gratifying and humbling that they’ve chosen me to be in this position,” Little said.