Five Questions: Brenda Cirtin

City clerks from around the world know Brenda Cirtin. Last month, the longtime Springfield city clerk was selected as the president of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, a nonprofit association that serves 9,500 members in the U.S. and several other countries. The announcement came three months after her peers recognized Cirtin as the Outstanding City Clerk in the state through the Missouri City Clerks and Finance Officers Association, an organization Cirtin led as president 13 years ago. She said she feels lucky to have found a vocation she is passionate about in public service.

Finding her niche
“I’ve been in this position since 1993. … I had been the city clerk in Jefferson City for about five-and-a-half years. [In Jefferson City] I was looking for a job. Obviously, the main employer in Jeff City is the government, and I had applied for several state positions. A gentleman who attended the church we were at said, ‘The city clerk has resigned; you should apply for that job.’ I had no clue what a city clerk did, but when I read the job description, I could do everything they were looking for someone to do. After interviewing with staff, I attended my first council meeting ever, and started work later that week. I found a niche that I never even knew was there. It was not just a profession and a vocation, but an avocation and a passion.”

Climbing the ladder
“When I was in Jeff City, at the time, the only avenue to become a municipal clerk was through the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, so I joined IIMC. I went to the training sessions and received my certification, and when we moved to Springfield and I became the city clerk, I began pursuing that next level of certification. I think in 2005, it was time for our region to have a representative on the board of directors. I told the clerks I was interested, and so was another individual, so there was an election, and I was elected. As I was finishing a four-year term … someone said to me, ‘You should think about running for the executive committee.’ I just laughed. Finally, someone said, ‘You should really consider this.’ And I did what I do with every major decision. I made it a matter of prayer; I talked with my family; … and I talked with my staff. Everyone said it was a fabulous idea, so I said I was interested. … It ended up that there was no election, and I was named vice president.”

Time and travel
“Being on the executive committee is a four-year commitment. Next year, I will be immediate past-president. … There will be two trips to California. One is for budget planning and an executive committee in August and then there is an executive committee meeting in February. Our annual conferences are scattered around the country. Our May [2013] conference will be in Atlantic City, N.J. I have a site visit at the end of July. I’ll look at the facilities and look at the educational programs being offered because education (comes) first and foremost. We also have international trips. In the first part of September, I will be going to South Africa. In October, there is a trip to England. And sometime sandwiched in there is a trip to British Columbia.”
 
City job description
“If I had to describe it in one word, it would be: ‘facilitator.’ The agenda is really put together by all departments. … We have a preagenda meeting and talk about the council bills. We’ll ask, ‘Is this fairly routine? Do we anticipate that there is going to be a lot of discussion? No, then it could go on the consent agenda.’ … We work all of that out, and then my office is the one that puts together the council bills. We put together the ordinances; we put together the agenda based on that meeting, and put it on the Internet. … We’re also the official record keepers for the city. We handle an enormous amount of Sunshine Law requests. It is not unusual to get two or three new requests per day.”  

Council changes
“Council is always trying to find the balance between what the neighbors need and yet allowing for economic development. Periodically, you’ll get a council that has a stronger leaning one way or the other. The only constant has been that, ultimately, (council members’) goals are to do what they think is in the best interest of the city. That has been the one constant through all the personalities. … I think it’s a really good blend with the ones we have now.”