Norwich picks Lisbon official to be new city clerk

Norwich - Lisbon Town Clerk Betsy Barrett was introduced Monday afternoon as the new city clerk in Norwich, although her appointment won't be made official until next Monday.

Barrett, 51, has served as Lisbon town clerk for the past 18 years and is in the middle of a four-year term. She served as librarian at Slater Memorial Library in Jewett City prior to her first election as town clerk.

Mayor Peter Nystrom said Barrett quickly stood out among the six finalists for the city clerk's position during interviews on Dec. 5, but the council wasn't yet ready to name her during the first meeting of the new council on Dec. 6.

Her appointment will be on the Dec. 19 council agenda, and Nystrom said she is expected to start "that evening," although she also plans to finish month-end and year-end reports in Lisbon.

Barrett said she was "honored" to be selected for the position and said she looked forward to creating a "good working team" in the office following the controversy of recent months.

Barrett will succeed former City Clerk Sandra Greenhalgh, who resigned Oct. 11 on the eve of a hearing to remove her from office after allegations that she filed personal documents on the city land records without paying required filing fees totaling $492.

"We're going to start from the 19th and move forward," Barrett said. "We're going to start fresh and new."

Norwich Assistant City Clerk Roseanne Muscarella has been filling in since Greenhalgh was placed on administrative leave on about July 1. Muscarella also had applied for the position. She said she wished Barrett "all the best," and would have no problem working with her.

Barrett's salary will be between $65,000 and $68,000, but the final figure has not yet been set, Norwich Human Resources Director Brigid Marks said. Nystrom said it would be about $67,000.

Barrett said she was interested in the Norwich position as a professional move to advance her career. She will move from a town with a population of 4,000 to a city with 40,000 residents. But Barrett said she doesn't think there will be much difference in the two positions, just more people coming to the counter.

"I think you handle everybody in a professional way and that determines how the office runs," Barrett said. "We're public servants. We should treat the public, attorneys, title searchers and citizens of Norwich with respect."

Nystrom said Barrett's experience and her involvement with the state Town Clerk's Association in training and educating other town clerks on changes to state law will make her a valuable asset to the city.

Norwich received 28 applicants, mostly from New London and Windham counties, and narrowed the search to six finalists. Nystrom said the council quickly reached a unanimous decision on Barrett.

"We're not just getting a city clerk, we're getting an educator," he said.

Barrett has been a certified municipal clerk in Connecticut since 1996. She is a member of the town clerk association's education committee and has been the association's assistant treasurer since 2009. She earned her bachelor's degree at Eastern Connecticut State University and is a corporator at Jewett City Savings Bank.

As town clerk in Lisbon, Barrett did not run Board of Selectmen meetings, as she will do with City Council meetings in Norwich, but she did run town meetings. While Lisbon had a residency requirement for the town clerk as a local elected office, Norwich has no such requirement by state law.

Lisbon First Selectman Thomas Sparkman said he has worked with Barrett during his 14 years as first selectman. He said he was pleased for her that she was selected for the Norwich position.

Sparkman was aware that Barrett was a finalist for the Norwich position and contacted the state Secretary of the State's office to check on Lisbon's process for selecting a new town clerk.

He said the town does not need to hold a special election, and the Board of Selectmen can make the appointment for the remainder of Barrett's term. Candidates must be Lisbon residents.

c.bessette@theday.com