Melillo: Budkin’s Leadership Has Brought the Clerk’s Office into the 21st Century

Letter to the editor from Andrew Melillo, Greenwich

A few days ago an editorial was written on why a vote for Carmella would be a vote of confidence in her demonstrated ability to serve the Town of Greenwich and protect its valuable resources. I would like to reiterate its sentiments and add a few more particular reasons why Carmella is the best and clearest choice to serve another term as the Town Clerk of Greenwich.

My job requires me to make nearly daily visits to the Clerk Offices of Greenwich, Stamford, New Canaan, Darien, Norwalk and Westport. The Town Clerk’s Office of Greenwich is noticeable different from the other towns: its clean, organized, well preserved, properly maintained, modernized through digitization and online accessibility, and its staff are always professional and ready to help at a moment’s notice.
The condition of the land record and vital record books is excellent. Whether the oldest records from the 1650’s, or the books bound just yesterday, they are all in extremely good condition and well preserved. Some neighboring towns have their oldest records falling apart, ripped up, uncared for and collecting dust, even separated in different buildings – Greenwich does not.

Accessibility is paramount. Carmella and her office have diligently overseen the complete modernization of the land records. It is not matched in any other town I visit. At any given moment from my office or at my home, I can go online and view any filed land record from today back to the 1950’s – and the best part? With each passing day more and more records dating farther back are being digitized and added to the online database. Carmella has ensured that the land records are as visible, accessible and easy to
navigate as possible. In neighboring communities a person would have to go to town hall, lift a very heavy book of several hundred pages – some books being the old folio 12” x 19” books – and awkwardly attempt to copy pages without causing damage or wear to the records – in Greenwich this is all passé.

By all means, if you’re old fashioned and prefer to hold a book, the records are accessible in the vault 9-5 each business day, but through Carmella’s digitization efforts, she has made the Greenwich Town Clerk Office a leading example of 21st-century land record keeping and accessibility.

Her staff is professional, attentive and always ready to cross over the counter and help anyone who is looking for their deed or mortgage. Together, Carmella and her staff have ensured that the Clerk’s Office serves the people of this town well.

The experience at Greenwich is night and day compared to neighboring communities – so come November 5th – a vote for Carmella would not just be a vote of confidence in the work she and her staff have accomplished, but it will also be a vote of confidence in the continuing good work and leadership they will deliver each day, now and in the future. Vote to re-elect Carmella Budkins as the Town Clerk of Greenwich.