The Standard Journal

Former clerk finishes up certificat­ion work.

- By Kevin Myrick SJ Editor

In all the years Aragon has been a city, many clerks have come and gone. Yet it took a determined person who isn’t on the job anymore to do what others haven’t been able to achieve in the past: getting certified for the job.

Former Aragon City Clerk Sandy Norman is now working as an educator at Rockmart High School, getting back into the school district she left for her former job with the city.

When she began with the city, Norman also started taking classes to become certified with the Georgia Municipal Clerks and Financial Officers Associatio­n, or GMC/ FOA. She was nearing completion of her work when she resigned last year from her job after she received what she still feels was an unfair evaluation from Mayor Garry Baldwin.

Since she was so close to completing her coursework to become a certified city clerk, Norman decided to keep up her studies and finish, and on her own dime.

“It was important to finish it and get it because I didn’t want to feel like it was all a waste,” she said.

During her time in the courses, Norman said what she learned most and feels is most important for local residents to ensure is that government remains transparen­t throughout all operations and found that aspect of the training “enlighteni­ng.”

For now, Norman said that she is back with the Polk School District and getting to see those students growing up she taught prior to her departure in 2014 to work for the City of Aragon.

Her hopes is that one day she might be able to transfer those skills she learned into another position in local government.

“I would t hi nk it would open the door,” she said. “But there isn’t a whole lot of demands for city clerks out there.”

After all, the positions usually don’t have much t urnaround, and those in service already in service like Carol Crawford in Cedartown or Pam Herring in Rockmart are likely to be around for the years to come.

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Sandy Norman

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