City of Paterson, New Jersey

Sonia Gordon City Clerk

In New Jersey, the Municipal Clerk occupies one of the most important and exacting positions in municipal government. In many instances it is the hub of municipal operations. The clerk, by virtue of his/her position, serves taxpayers and acts as a liason officer between the executive and the general body of municipal personnel. The municipal clerk is an important public relations figure in the municipal organization. It is often said the clerk is expected to know everything about the operations of the municipality and about how to accomplish what needs to be done.
Due to various types and structures of municipalities, it is difficult to outline all the duties and responsibilities imposed upon municipal clerks by governing bodies of individual municipalities. These duties are generally outlined in specific ordinances or municipal codes. In addition to the duties imposed by statute and ordinance, there are those established by custom. These duties vary from municipality to municipality. While they are not regarded as legally imposed responsibilities, many are highly important to the successful administration of municipal affairs.
Chief among these is the obligation of the municipal clerk to the governing body. The Clerk is to provide the governing body with the necessary information and background material on those matters requiring its attention. The adequacy and comprehensives of this material will enable the members of the governing body, whose service is part-time in varying degrees, to act more knowledgeably on matters requiring their attention and formal disposition. Among the many duties of the Municipal Clerk are: