Contact: Shannon Powell
262.636.9266
Mayor Mason proud of the work Coolidge did as Deputy to earn promotion
Racine – Last night, at the Racine Common Council meeting the Council approved the Mayoral appointment of Tara Coolidge as the City’s next City Clerk.
“It is an honor to be selected to serve the City of Racine as City Clerk. As our City continues to grow and seizes on the opportunities before us, the Clerk’s office will strive to provide first class customer service, transparency and accountability with public records, and vows to continue the expansion of access to the ballot box during elections,” said
Tara Coolidge. “I am grateful for this opportunity and appreciate the confidence of the Mayor and Alders.”
Coolidge had served as the Deputy City Clerk for a number of years, but after the retirement of the previous clerk, the position sat vacant for about a year. During this period Tara Coolidge served as the de-facto City Clerk and pushed for more access to the ballot box during elections. Under Ms. Coolidge’s leadership, the City expanded in-person voting
hours during the week, as well as expanded hours and satellite locations for voting on weekends. Ms. Coolidge also worked with educational institutions to recruit high school juniors and seniors to serve as poll workers, giving them real world experience in the electoral process.
“Tara has shown her dedication to the residents of Racine with her innovative approach to running elections. This November we saw a record number of voters turn out for the mid-terms and she was able to expand access and recruit new talent to serve as poll workers,” said Mayor Mason. “While we did conduct a nationwide search to fill the position, we were able to find the best candidate right here at home.”
A nationwide search was conducted for the City Clerk position resulting in more than 25 applicants from across the nation. After a thorough review process was conducted by senior city staff, a single candidate was selected for appointment by the Mayor.
