Up Close and Personal in

UP CLOSE &

PERSONAL In the Field

Ashlee Crosby

Do you know someone who deserves to be profiled in a future edition of New Hampshire Town and City magazine?

If so, please contact the New Hampshire Municipal Association at 800.852.3358 ext. 3408 or tfortier@nhmunicipal.org.

Welcome to Up Close and Personal – In the Field, a regular column in New Hampshire Town and City dedicated to giving readers a closer look at staff from New Hampshire municipalities and other political subdivisions. In this issue, we hope you enjoy meeting Ashlee Crosby, formerly Assistant Town Clerk and now the Recreation Director with the Town of Swanzey.

TC: What are your duties and responsibilities as Director of Recreation?

AC: I was hired at the Deputy Town Clerk in 2019, then moved into the Recreation Director position in 2020, when I was brought back in the end of 2020 as the Assistant Town Clerk to assist with training the new Deputy Town Clerk and assist with elections. As a Town Clerk we had all motorized vehicle and trailer registration, election processes and vital records.

TC: What is your biggest challenge in performing your duties?

AC: My biggest challenge as the Assistant Town Clerk, has been breaking down processes to pass my knowledge on to the new Town Clerk and Deputy. Processes where very easy for me to pick up but to training new clerks has taught me how to explain things differently.

TC: How has NHMA helped you to do your job?

AC: The NHMA has been amazing with training me and preparing me to handle all the different aspects of the job.

TC: What is the public perception about your job and how does it differ from the reality of your job?

AC: A perception of my job is I know everyone in the town and what vehicles they drive. In reality I know some but not all of the resident and have no idea what most drive. An unusual experience I had was running the Town election in place of the Town Clerk, who was campaigning for their position. Counting the votes and delivering the message of a defeat was an experience I hope to not have again.

TC: Has your public position changed you personally?

AC: I have spent many years prior to this position in the public eye, so it wasn’t a change to my lifestyle.This job has completely changed the way I look at the role of government. Before taking this job, I had little to no understanding of local government. Since taking this position, I have become more active in my local government and community.

TC: What lessons about human nature have you learned in your role?

AC: Not everyone has a happy disposition but a smile can change most people’s day.

TC: What advice would you give someone who would like to follow in your footsteps into this job?

AC: Follow the processes and ask questions.

TC: Do you dislike any aspects of your job? Which ones? Why?

AC: I dislike that we currently do not offer boat registrations and its always dishearten to turn a customer away due to that.

TC: Given the opportunity, what changes would you make to the position?

AC: Given the opportunity I would bring back boat registrations. With two large body of waters in our town, we see a lot of boats.