Hillsdale’s new city clerk Stephen French is already getting crazy questions, like how to register a Hillsdale College student to vote when her Texas driver’s license has a Michigan state address? French, with 16 years of clerking experience, said the first step is to call the state of Michigan.
French was unanimously approved as clerk by the Hillsdale City Council in Jan. 19 and has been actively in office for less than two weeks. Appointed by city Mayor Scott Sessions, French is the first appointed city clerk in Hillsdale’s history. The city’s charter was changed to make the clerk an appointed position rather than elected after a high turnover rate demonstrated that oversight was needed to ensure a qualified individual in the position.
A native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, French graduated from Kalamazoo College with bachelor of arts degrees in political science and religion and received a master’s in public administration from Dayton University, in addition to clerking certification.
“I want to see the city clerk department run well and I think he will do an excellent job there,” Sessions said.
The primary responsibilities of a clerk involves meticulous record-keeping at city council meetings and organizing all the city’s elections, whether local or presidential.
“We’re pretty excited him about having him on the team,” Hillsdale City Manager David Mackie said.
Dubbed a “master minutes book-clerk” by Mackie, French’s career in clerking started at the suggestion of his dad over lunch, when French was considering running for town supervisor in Kalamazoo.
“My dad said, ‘You really should run for clerk because the pay is the same and nobody else is running,’” French said.
After being elected clerk for four years in Kalamazoo, French clerked for six years in Comstock Township followed by six years in Dayton, Ohio.
Moving back to Kalamazoo to be close to his daughter, a freshman in college, French applied for the open clerk position in Hillsdale.
“I’ve only been here for a little over a week and I’ve got two ears and one mouth. I have a lot to do in terms of learning about what makes Hillsdale tick and what the community expects of its clerk,” French said.
An election-junkie, French came to Hillsdale at the right time with the presidential primary elections on the horizon. At his last clerking position in Dayton, Ohio, elections were organized at the county level rather than by the city clerk.
“I love elections because it’s a time when everybody gets to have their voice heard. You can complain about your president or love your council member but when it comes down to the votes, the most educated person, the professor at Hillsdale College, his vote is the same as everyone else’s,” French remarked.
While preparing for the upcoming elections and keeping the city council’s books in order, French is assisting Mackie on multiple projects, which include improving the council chamber’s sound and video system and working with department heads to raise awareness among Hillsdale inhabitants of positive changes and news occurring within the community.
Always looking for new ways to develop efficiency, French loves to quote Robert Kennedy, “It’s important to ask why but also ‘why not?’ Like why can’t we improve what we’re doing? There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not?”