Falkville clerk is state's best

By Staff
Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
Wearing a lot of different hats on the job is nothing new to Falkville Town Clerk Belinda Ealey. She's been doing it for 22 and a half years.
In addition to performing the normal duties of a municipal clerk, she is town treasurer, a member and secretary of the planning commission, secretary and treasurer of the cemetery board, accounts payable and accounts receivables clerk, payroll clerk, certified court clerk/magistrate, business license administrator and secretary of the zoning board of adjustments.
These additional duties along with her many other contributions to her community and profession are what led to her being named winner of the 2007 Clerk of the Year Award by the Alabama Association of Municipal Clerks and Administrators (AAMCA).
She received the award at the association's annual summer conference in Florence on June 30. An engraved plaque was presented to commemorate the honor. She also will be honored at the Association's winter conference in November and the next Alabama League of Municipalities Annual Conference.
"I was totally shocked," Ealey said. "All municipal clerks work hard and many have multiple tasks to perform. "It a great honor and I'm still speechless."
"When I started on this job I was young and green as a gourd. The clerk I replaced trained me for two hours and then left. I have to give thanks to Betty Parker who was the city clerk in Hartselle at that time. She took me under her wing and helped me a lot. With her encouragement, I started attending clerk workshops and seminars right off the bat. I learned that the association's continuing education program was invaluable to someone who is training on the job."
Subsequently, Ealey attained the status of a Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) and recently completed education requirements for Master Municipal Clerk (MMC) status.
"She is very deserving of the recognition," Falkville Mayor Jimmy Walker said. "She knows municipal government from top to bottom and is a loyal and dedicated public servant. She's a valuable asset to this community."
Ealey said the best thing about her job is being able to help other people even though it sometimes means going above and beyond the call of duty.
"I love my job and I love the people here." she said.
Ealey is a member of Falkville First Baptist Church, where she sings in the choir and works in children's church and nursery ministries.