Marblehead native Terri Tauro will run for town clerk in the June 10 town election, she told the Marblehead Current on Wednesday. Tauro currently works in the harbormaster’s office, serves as president of the Marblehead Municipal Employees Union and holds the position of vice chair of the Marblehead Housing Authority. She believes her municipal experience has prepared her to bring to the town clerk’s office improved communication, voter engagement and modernized services.
“I see an open, welcoming, engaged face of the town,” Tauro told the Current in her Jersey Street home Wednesday. “I want the town clerk to be more than just a place you go to pick up a birth certificate or to register a dog. I want it to be a community place and a safe space for everybody.”
Incumbent Town Clerk Robin Michaud is finishing her sixth three-year term. She was first elected in 2007, easily outpacing rivals Gail Brown and E. Fredrick Armstrong. Michaud secured 2,717 votes to Brown’s 570 and Armstrong’s 156.
Michaud last faced a challenger in 2016 when she narrowly defeated Sally Sands by 129 votes, 1,635 to 1,506.
Duties and responsibilities
In Massachusetts, town clerks serve as pivotal figures in municipal governance, acting as the official record keepers and chief election officers within their communities. Their responsibilities encompass maintaining vital records, including birth, death and marriage certificates; administering local elections; issuing various licenses and permits; recording votes at town meetings; maintaining municipal bylaws and administering oaths of office to elected and appointed officials.
Tauro’s connection to Marblehead runs deep. As the daughter of Danny Colbert, a U.S. Air Force veteran, she grew up in federally funded housing at Barnard Hawkes Court, continuing what she describes as a six-generation family legacy in town. She attended Marblehead public schools and has held various jobs throughout her career.
“My father served in the United States Air Force for 15 years. As a USAF veteran, he was eligible to live in federally funded housing,” Tauro wrote in her Housing Authority appointment letter. “Thanks to the Marblehead Housing Authority, my four siblings and I were able to grow up in our father’s hometown and benefit from its many resources.”
Her professional background spans multiple industries, including banking as a mortgage originator, real estate, food service and municipal government. She started her town career at the police station as a part-time records clerk in 2010 before moving to the harbormaster’s office, where she has worked for the past 14 years.
If elected, Tauro plans to implement several changes, including establishing a social media presence for the clerk’s office to keep residents informed about important dates and deadlines. She also wants to explore early voting options for town elections and improve voter engagement, particularly among young people.
“I want to engage voters. I want to get out the vote,” she said, suggesting initiatives like classroom visits to inform students they can register to vote at 16 years old.
‘Bridge builder’
As a self-described “bridge builder,” Tauro believes her ability to work with people across political and socio-economic spectrums makes her well-suited for the town clerk position, which involves interfacing with residents from all backgrounds.
“I have friends on every side of the aisle, every demographic, educational background, blue, red, purple; financially sound, broke — everywhere,” she said. “I think I have an ability to build bridges with people, and this is a non-partisan position where everybody matters, everybody’s vote counts, and everybody’s opinion needs to be heard.”
Tauro said she has demonstrated collaborative skills in her role, working with former harbormaster Webb Russell and current Harbormaster Mark Souza to streamline processes and improve transparency — especially around the waitlist for boat moorings. She says she helped create a more efficient boat excise tax process that has reduced paperwork and increased revenue.
“Webb and I had what we call the hidden yellow pad,” Tauro explained. “We made the waiting list start to move, finally starting to move. We made it more transparent by having lists available.”
Digitization of historic records would be another priority for Tauro.
“I think all the records need to be digitized so, God forbid, if we ever lost records — those priceless, old, precious old records — that we would at least have them digitized,” she said.
Beyond election administration and record keeping, town clerks in Massachusetts also oversee the preservation of historic documents, some dating back centuries. In Marblehead, this includes correspondence from Founding Fathers and early Town Meeting minutes that chronicle the community’s rich history.
If elected, Tauro would need to step down from her position as president of the Marblehead Municipal Employees Union, though she has worked with AFL-CIO representatives to arrange a leave-of-absence status.
The former Democratic Town Committee member has already unenrolled from her party in preparation for possibly serving as an impartial election official.
“I stepped down from the Democratic Town Committee because I don’t want the perception of me being biased,” Tauro explained.
