FORTVILLE — Fortville’s newly elected clerk-treasurer is planning to step down after just nine months in office.
Sherry Durbin, who was elected to the position in November, ran her campaign on the promise she’d keep regular office hours after her predecessor’s term was marked by her regular absence from town hall. But Durbin said she took another job in June after her former employer made her an offer that paid more than her position overseeing the town’s books.
Durbin, who said she plans to resign, has held two jobs since, working regular daytime hours at a dental office in Fishers and weekend and evening hours in the clerk-treasurer’s office.
Durbin, who estimated she is still putting in about 30 hours at town hall, did not give a specific date for her resignation but wrote in a letter to the Daily Reporter she believes “that time is coming very soon.”
Durbin, a Republican, said she wants to see the town’s budget process through and ensure the office is in order for her replacement. She expects to resign in the next month or two, she said.
The local Republican Party will select Durbin’s replacement, said county attorney Ray Richardson. Once Durbin resigns, the party will have 30 days to conduct a caucus to choose her replacement. Under Indiana election law, Durbin’s replacement must reside in Fortville to hold the office.
Durbin ousted former clerk-treasurer Marcie Stafford in the 2015 Republican primary and defeated two independents last November to win the position.
During the campaign season, Stafford’s absence from the office was a sticking point for candidates seeking to replace her, including Durbin, who told the Daily Reporter last October, if elected, she’d hold office hours Monday through Friday and be the face residents would see in town hall.
She quit her job at the dental office before starting her term in January but was offered a position at her old office she couldn’t turn down, she said. She’s been planning to step down since June but is waiting until next year’s town budget is ready to leave office, she said.
“It took a lot for me to make this decision, but financially, I have to do what’s best for my family,” said Durbin, a mother of three.
The clerk-treasurer responsibilities — keeping financial records, overseeing the budget process, paying town bills and taking council minutes — are being completed by Durbin and her deputy clerk, Missy Glazier, who was hired for the job earlier this year, Durbin said.
Durbin said she wants a smooth transition for her successor, noting the 2017 budget will be finalized in coming weeks.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Responsibilities of the clerk-treasurer” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Fortville clerk-treasurer Sherry Durbin is stepping down, and the local Republican Party will select a replacement.
Here are some of the office’s duties:
- Keeps the town’s financial records
- Oversees the town’s budget under direction of the town council
- Takes minutes of town council meetings; records votes
- Appoints additional staff to the office under direction of the town council
- Issues licenses (e.g., business licenses, animal licenses)
- Administers oaths and takes depositions as needed
- Performs marriages as needed
[sc:pullout-text-end]
