Town Clerk Robin Michaud, who has overseen Marblehead elections and record-keeping for nearly two decades, is campaigning for a seventh term amid challenges from two candidates who contend the office needs new leadership.
Michaud, 60, an 11th-generation Marblehead resident, is finishing her sixth three-year term.
‘I love my job’
First elected in 2007 when she secured 2,717 votes to easily defeat Gail Brown (570 votes) and E. Fredrick Armstrong (156 votes), Michaud last faced a challenger in 2016 when she narrowly defeated Sally Sands by 129 votes, 1,635 to 1,506. She now faces competition from Marblehead Municipal Employees Union president Terri Tauro and deposit operations specialist Melissa Flanagan in the June 10 election.
“I love my job. I love Marblehead. I’m not ready to retire,” Michaud said during a recent interview inside Mookie’s at Mugford. Michaud said she holds certification as a Massachusetts municipal clerk, having recertified three times since first earning the credential in 2011.
During her tenure, Michaud said she has modernized several aspects of the office’s operations.
“We were the first one in town to use the City Hall System online. I brought it to the town,” Michaud said. “The tax collector is now using it, and the Water and Sewer Department, too.”
Michaud also said she replaced voting machines with state-certified optical scanners and introduced electronic poll pads (iPads) for more efficient voter check-in during elections.
“We were one of the first communities actually to use the poll pads,” she said, noting the equipment streamlines three critical voting processes: early voting, Election Day check-in and processing mail-in ballots before counting.
She also noted that the clerk’s office faced unprecedented challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, including implementing emergency voting procedures, relocating polling places and managing thousands of mail-in ballots.
“We were all over the place. I set up so many places for elections,” Michaud said, describing how her team adapted to changing public health requirements.
She counts stability within the office as a hallmark of her tenure. Her two staff members, Jill Lewis and Jenn Galvin, have worked alongside her for 16 and 12 years respectively.
“I feel good that they’ve stayed and haven’t left. I must be doing something right as a supervisor,” Michaud said. “We’re a pretty well-oiled machine.”
Addressing criticism
Michaud also addressed criticism over a COVID-era table that remained outside her office door for sometime, preventing direct entry by the public.
“‘It was there for COVID, and then it kind of just stayed. It should have been gone before,” Michaud acknowledged. “However, during the election, I don’t have enough room in there. I had all those ballots that we were processing.”
She noted the barrier has since been removed and emphasized she’s “open for suggestions” about improving accessibility.
Both challengers have criticized aspects of the office’s accessibility and communication. Flanagan has advocated for “more overall openness, transparency and communication,” while Tauro described the clerk’s office as lacking accessibility and responsiveness.
Michaud strongly disputes these characterizations.
“I strongly disagree. We are very accessible. We answer our emails, you know that we answer our phone calls, we respond to our voicemail messages,” Michaud said. “I’m not sure what she’s talking about.”
The town clerk position involves more than processing birth certificates and dog licenses, she noted. Michaud’s responsibilities include facilitating elections, administering Town Meeting procedures, managing historical records, processing zoning board applications, handling business certificates and monitoring conflict of interest compliance.
“I don’t think people realize what we do,” she said.
Michaud emphasized her nonpartisan approach to the position.
“I am not affiliated with a political party. I’m right down the middle. I’m very neutral. I’ve never enrolled in a party,” she said, contrasting with her opponent Tauro, who has previously run for state representative on a Democratic ticket.
If reelected, Michaud hopes to continue implementing technological improvements while preserving the town’s historical documents. She said she has worked with the Marblehead Historical Commission on preservation projects and wants to continue that collaboration.
“I want to continue serving the town. Hope to go for more technology, whatever we can,” Michaud said. “We’re tied by what the state allows us to do.”
Michaud maintains that her experience, institutional knowledge and nonpartisan approach make her the right choice for Marblehead voters.
“I love the job. I think I do a good job, and I’m always open for suggestions, as long as I can do it,” she said.
