[BREVARD, N.C. November 7, 2022] – Brevard City Clerk Jill Murray has been named Hendersonville, North Carolina’s new city clerk. Murray’s last day with the City will be November 10, 2022. City Manager Wilson Hooper has named current Executive Assistant to the City Manager Denise Hodsdon as the new city clerk.
“We are looking forward to Jill Murray joining the City of Hendersonville team as our new City Clerk,” said Hendersonville Mayor Barbara Volk. “The Clerk position is of utmost importance to a municipality, and we know Ms. Murray’s training and experience will serve her well.”
“I’m happy for Jill but sad for us,” said City Manager Wilson Hooper. “She’s been an invaluable member of this team for nine years, and a thread of stability woven through an organization that’s experienced significant transition during her time. Through new elected leaders, new managers, new staff, Jill’s held down the fort. We’ll miss her.”
Brevard Mayor Maureen Copelof agreed: “I know Jill will do an incredible job in Hendersonville because she has been such an incredible member of our team here in Brevard. Always the professional, she handles everything from routine to emergency requests quickly, property and with a positive, can-do attitude. We will all miss her but know that she will excel at the new challenges in front of her. Hendersonville is a very lucky city to be hiring Jill.”
Hodsdon has served as Brevard’s executive assistant to the city manager for almost five years, where she helps facilitate the work of the city’s elected and appointed officials and performs special projects on behalf of the city’s administrative leadership. Prior to serving in Brevard, Hodsdon was town clerk of Hampden, Maine for fifteen years.
State law requires that all municipalities designate a clerk. The clerk’s most significant statutory duties concern the preparation, filing, and safeguarding of important local government records. They draft meeting agendas, schedule and provide notice of public hearings, and compile the often-voluminous supporting materials that council members must consider, among other responsibilities.
“Denise’s experience in Maine and her work in her job here make her the ideal candidate,” Hooper continued. “She’ll slot right into the role, which will enable us to make this transition without a blip. Plus, to top it all off, she’s a genuinely nice person who everyone here at the city already enjoys working with.”
The city will begin recruiting for a new executive assistant to the city manager in the weeks to come.