Date: Fri 20-Jun-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

town-clerk-Blithe-Dotson

Full Text:

Gets Clerk's Certification (Blithe Dotson)

Assistant Town Clerk Blithe Dotson has earned the certification that qualifies

her to become a town clerk anywhere in the state of Connecticut.

But Mrs Dotson, who has worked in the office of Town Clerk Cindy Curtis Simon

for four and a half years, doesn't plan to leave Newtown.

"I love my job," she said. "I intend to stay here (as an assistant town clerk)

for a very long time."

To earn the certification, Mrs Dotson took five basic courses, run by the

University of Connecticut at New Britain, in records management, elections,

land records, vital statistics and "other duties," a course that covers

everything from issuing dog licenses to administering oaths of office. She

then had to pass a 100-question final certification examination.

Married to Fred Dotson nearly 25 years, Blithe Dotson moved to Newtown in

1973. The couple has two sons, Fred, 22, and John, 19, both of whom were born

in Newtown and attended the local schools.

Mrs Dotson, who has an associate's degree in early childhood education, was a

nursery school teacher at the Congregational Church for three years until her

first son was born. She then did home day care for seven years. Once her

children were in school, she answered an advertisement for a job with the

school district and wound up as cafeteria manager at Head O' Meadow School,

where she was responsible for everything from ordering and bookkeeping to

managing the staff and the daily operations.

Town Clerk Cindy Curtis Simon praised her assistant town clerk for what she

called a "well-deserved" accomplishment.

"I'm very proud of her - it's a big achievement and she worked hard for it,"

Mrs Simon said.