Town Clerk Announces Retirement Date, Opening Seat for Election

Burlington Town Clerk, Amy Warfield, has been talking about retirement for a year or more, but theory became reality when she delivered notice to the Select Board at their January 13 meeting. Warfield, who has been at the role for 9 years and in the Town Clerk's office for nearly two decades, is ready to step down and said she wants to give potential candidates time to take out nomination papers for the remaining year of the term.

The announcement comes as Burlington considers changing the Town Clerk position from elected to appointed. Warfield's retirement timing allows for a one-year elected term before any potential change in the position's structure.

The role, one of the few elected positions that comes with a paycheck, is essential to the town.

The Town Clerk is the town's Chief Election Officer, in addition to being responsible for running the office that maintains all of Burlington's public records. Residents needing dog licenses, marriage licenses, birth or death records, or any other kind of public record interface with the Town Clerk at some point. And, the Clerk's office ensures town elections are held in a free and fair manner, organizing ballot printing and distribution and day-of processes for local, primary, and general elections.

The announcement was bittersweet for all in attendance. Members of the Select Board reflected on Warfield's years of service, with member Jim Tigges recounting stories of how Warfield, dressed in PPE to protect against COVID, performed marriages for people who wouldn't have been able to get married in surrounding towns at the beginning of the pandemic.

The Select Board now needs to officially acknowledge Warfield's retirement and add the position to the April 5 ballot. Anyone interested in running for Town Clerk must take out nomination papers by February 12 and return them with 50 town-wide signatures by February 14.