Mari Ripp was at the awards dinner for the Washington Municipal Clerks Association Conference when a speaker started listing off the r?sum? for the Clerk of the Year. The announcer mentioned the clerk worked on a records management project with the state archivist and had council members trained in open public meetings before it was a requirement.
Ripp, Woodland’s clerk-treasurer, turned to her husband and asked, “Are they talking about me?” They were. Ripp received the award March 17 at the conference, which was held in Spokane.
“I was very happy and surprised,” she said by phone. “It’s a very nice honor from the different clerks in the state. There were clerks from more than 280 cities eligible.”
She has worked as the city’s clerk and treasurer since 1995, and has worked as a clerk in Woodland for the last 26 years. She previously worked as a deputy clerk and payroll clerk. She was nominated for the award by the city administrator and mayor. A committee with the association reviews nominated clerks and the association’s president picks the honoree. The conference also raised money for the association’s scholarship fund.
