Marblehead resident Melissa Flanagan believes the Town Clerk’s Office needs a change, to focus on openness and improved communication. So she’s running for the position in the June 10 election.
“I want there to be more overall openness, transparency and communication, like having an open door policy, making people feel welcome,” Flanagan told the Marblehead Current.
Flanagan joins union president Terri Tauro in challenging incumbent Town Clerk Robin Michaud, who is completing her sixth three-year term and has pulled nomination papers. Michaud, first elected in 2007, narrowly defeated challenger Sally Sands in 2016 by 129 votes.
Flanagan, 44, who has lived in Marblehead for 35 years, currently works as a deposit operations specialist at Marblehead Bank, processing wires, mobile deposits and handling fraud prevention.
Her connection to the town runs deep. She moved to Marblehead from New Hampshire at age 9 when her father, Chet Strout (of Chet’s Video), who grew up in town, returned to his roots. Her grandfather once drove the bus for Marblehead High School sports teams.
“My dad’s originally from here. Grew up here, went to school here,” Flanagan said.
With nearly eight years of banking experience, Flanagan worked her way up from teller to head teller, customer service representative and eventually branch manager at National Grand Bank before COVID-19. After a three-month employment gap during the pandemic, she transitioned to Marblehead Bank.
“Where I’ve been in banking for seven, eight years, it’s been some of the same things, but also, like you deal with very detail oriented stuff, and you have to be able to work with customers, and work with a lot of difficult customers,” she said.
If elected, Flanagan plans to establish a stronger online presence, including social media, to improve communication about important dates and deadlines. She also supports expanding early voting options for town elections.
“You need to make it as accessible as possible to be able to give people the option to get their opinion out there, because otherwise people are just going to, if it’s not easy enough for them, then they’re just not going to do it,” Flanagan said.
Digitizing historic town records stands among her priorities, noting her longtime interest in history. She and her father have visited historical sites in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
“History’s always been something I’ve been interested in, and then digitizing that kind of falls in line,” she said.
Flanagan is married to Martin Flanagan of the Marblehead Health Department. She has taken their 7-year-old son, Liam, to polls on Election Day.
“My son loves it. He loves to go with me and help me. He’s so interested in all of it,” she said.
While acknowledging she has more to learn about election security, Flanagan recognizes its importance.
“I’m not 100% sure, honestly,” she said regarding specific security protocols. “But I definitely think that there needs to be a change and a better process.”
Customer service stands central to her vision for the office. Flanagan emphasized the importance of acknowledging visitors promptly and responding to inquiries efficiently.
“Even with phone calls or emails, making sure that you’re just communicating with them, and even if you can’t answer their question right away,” she said. “People don’t like waiting.”
She believes the town clerk position aligns well with her organizational skills and public service interests.
She would measure her success by delivering on campaign promises.
“Following through with the tasks at hand,” she said. “Actually taking the time and the effort and not just talking to them, but following through with them. Making that come to life is a huge part of what I would consider to be the success of it.“
