About
Mission, Goals, and Objectives
We exist to assist. Our team serves to provide equitable access to open government by promoting the inclusion and full participation of all residents in the democratic process. We are committed to achieving our mission through facilitating the right to vote, providing access to open meetings and open records, providing impartial license administration, and offering support for the legislative process.
Core Values
- Continual Improvement
- Leaders in Innovation
- Equity, Empowerment, and Engagement
- Respect for Each Customer
- Key Resource for Information
- Service with Integrity and Empathy
City Clerk's Office Personnel
- City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl, WCPC
- Deputy City Clerk Jim Verbick, WCMC, Liquor License Coordinator
- Eric Christianson, WCMC, Certified Municipal Clerk, Happiness at Work Facilitator
- Thomas Lund, WCMC, Certified Municipal Clerk, Backup Records Custodian
- Nikki Perez, WCMC, Certified Municipal Clerk, Emergency Management Team
- Jennifer Haar, WCMC, Certified Municipal Clerk, Records Custodian, Equity Coordinator
- Heather Harris, Municipal Clerk II, Emergency Management Team, Statement of Interests Coordinator
- Maggie McClain, Municipal Clerk II, Public Information Officer
- Shelby Hanewold, Municipal Clerk II, Special Voting Deputy Coordinator
- Bonnie Chang, Municipal Clerk I, Voter Outreach Coordinator
Everyone in the Clerk's Office is cross-trained on all Clerk's Office duties. All Clerk's Office employees are either working toward or have already earned certification as a Wisconsin Certified Municipal Clerk through the Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association.
Everyone in the office is part of the Clerk's Office Racial Equity & Social Justice team. We devote time every Tuesday to focusing on equity. The entire office has completed the YWCA Racial Justice Workshop series, participated in the YWCA Racial Justice Summit, and completed Hard Conversations: An Introduction to Racism and its Undoing. Half the office completed Justified Anger: Black History for a New Day training in 2020, and the other half of the office will complete this training in 2021.
In 2020, the Clerk's Office applied an equity lens to examine the relationship between the pandemic and voting access for City of Madison residents. We sought the community's assistance to identify the obstacles blocking access to voting for our Indigenous population. The Clerk's Office also applied an equity lens when preparing for the 2021 Budget and when we hired another full time staff member.
In 2021, the Clerk's Office hopes to apply an equity lens to processes including but not limited to liquor license renewals, if obstacles exist in the way Council and Committee meetings are noticed/conducted, to identify obstacles blocking access to voting for those in our Hmong communities, and to conduct an equity analysis to our license application process for those who may have a limited proficiency in English.