by Joan Eliyesil ·
Friday, September 27, 2024
Alison Flynn has provided administrative support to the Board of Health for the past seven years, but that will all come to an end in mid-October. Flynn told the Press she’s sad to be leaving, but she received an offer for another job that was “too good to pass up.”
Prior to clerking for the board, Flynn worked for 14 years as a litigation paralegal at a firm in Boston. She said she loved the job, but as a mother with young children, the commute became too much. The firm recently offered her a part-time, benefitted position at an office it will be opening closer to the town where she lives.
Flynn currently works 19 hours a week, just under the number of hours that would require the town to provide benefits. Her duties include supporting Board of Health meetings by determining what issues need to be brought to the board’s attention, preparing agendas, and taking minutes. She also helps residents and contractors with permit applications and acts as liaison for the board with both requests for information and complaints.
Flynn said leaving her position here is “bittersweet.” She said she came here with no experience in municipal work, and the board was very helpful bringing her up to speed and supporting her requests to continue her education. She said she’s enjoyed working with town residents, volunteers, and staff, and that she’s sad that she won’t get a chance to work with the new town administrator, Dan Nason, and assistant town administrator Allyson Mitchell, who “have such positive energy.”
Board of Health Chair Libby Levison told the Press, “Alison has been an exceptional assistant to the Board of Health, and we will truly struggle without her. She runs the office, has a significant amount of institutional memory, and understands the regulations and laws that dictate the board’s work. We are really going to miss her, but the perfect opportunity came her way. I know I speak for the entire board and the health agent in wishing her all the best in the future.”
Mitchell told the Press the Board of Health clerk job will likely be posted as soon as she verifies that the job description is up to date, probably the week of Sept. 24. Flynn’s last day on the job is Oct. 17.