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10/10/2024 08:30 AMYears ago, Donna Dunn’s aunt informed her about a job opening in Clinton’s Town Hall.
“The Tax Collection Office had an opening, so she told me just to call them up and apply. I didn’t know much at the time about it, but I interviewed for it,” Donna recalls.
Donna got the job and hasn’t looked back as she still works for the town nearly 30 years later.
Donna initially worked in the office as a clerk and was then an assistant tax collector for about 12 years. For the past 11 years, Donna has worked as the assistant to the director of the Public Works Department in Clinton.
When asked about her job, Donna is quick to point out that the department takes care of all the town buildings and grounds, keeping the 14-member crew very busy.
“We do everything but inside the schools, basically. It’s a pretty steady office in terms of work,” Donna says.
In her role, Donna is the face of the office, and her day-to-day responsibilities see her frequently taking calls and questions from the public.
“I call it the complaint therapy department,” Donna says with a laugh. “I say that as a joke. We get a lot of calls if there’s an issue with the athletic fields, road maintenance, the beach, building issues, and I take the calls and put in a work order or point them in the right direction,” Donna explains.
Despite the constant calls, Donna enjoys the job and the relationships she’s been able to form in it.
“I feel like I gained a ton of friends, and I used to say I always wanted a brother. Well, now I feel like I have 15 brothers I can count on with the guys from the department,” Donna says. “I like the quick problem solving we do get to help people,” she adds.
That being said, Donna concedes that it can be hard dealing with so much at once.
“You can’t please everyone, and sometimes you have to say no. There are budget and money realities that do come into play,” Donna explains.
As an employee of the town, sometimes you have to jump in an assist others in unexpected ways. When the storms Sandy and Irene hit the town in back-to-back years, Donna recalls coming out to help by first helping to direct responders where to go, then by working the phones at Town Hall, providing direction to people who needed it. Donna’s efforts didn’t end there.
“For the FEMA reimbursement process, we had to track everything [and], it was a lot of paperwork that I helped with. We tracked every, every thing and, compared to some other towns, I don’t know if people realize we got back a lot of money through reimbursements because we were proactive about it,” Donna says.
More recently, Donna has stepped up her involvement with the Republican Town Committee and been serving as an alternate member of the Board of Assessment Appeals. She also clerks meetings for some boards and commissions.
“I really decided I wanted to be a little bit more involved and put myself out there a little bit more in politics,” Donna says.
Still, other people around town might know Donna thanks to her involvement with athletics over the years, from coaching T-ball to helping run the concession stand at Morgan’s football games.
“I coached field hockey at Eliot for two years, and I coached the freshman girls’ basketball team for four years at Morgan. I loved it. I loved coaching. I played three sports when I was in high school, and I really loved it,” Donna says.
In her spare time, Donna and her husband enjoy riding their motorcycle around and trying different restaurants, especially if it’s a pizza place. She also enjoys spending time with her kids, stepkids, and three dogs.
Donna grew up in Clinton and, apart from some time spent in Florida and Westbrook, she’s remained in town. The town has left a strong impression on Donna.
“I feel like because I grew up here everyone pretty much knows everyone, but I mean that in a good way. Being in a small community that I love, I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Donna says.