Lewisboro Democrats Nominate Morris for Town Clerk

LEWISBORO, N.Y. – The Lewisboro Democratic Committee voted unanimously to nominate Jeff Morris as its candidate to fill the unexpired three-year term of former Town Clerk Kathy Cory, who resigned in March.

Morris, a freelance editor and writer who has written the column “Uncommon Sense” for the Lewisboro Ledger since 2004, has a master’s degree in library science from Long Island University’s Palmer School of Library and Information Science. A resident of South Salem for 36 years, he also spent 10 years in retail management, was senior editor of a business publication that focused on customer service and support strategies and technology, served as a research librarian at Reader’s Digest. He is a Democratic district leader.

“We had just launched a search for a qualified candidate when Jeff expressed interest,” said Alan Cole, co-chairman of the Democratic Committee. “Frankly, I was delighted. I had no idea of the breadth and depth of his experience until he presented us with his résumé. At that point, we realized we already had the perfect candidate right in front of us.

“Jeff was noted for his excellent customer service and management skills when he was in retailing,” added Cole. “And those are qualities that are essential for the town clerk – along with a great sense of humor, which we know he has.”

Christina Rae, Lewisboro Democratic Committee’s other co-chairman, said she was impress that Morris as part of his master’s program studied archives and records management, which is part of a town clerk’s responsibilities.

“When he worked at Reader’s Digest, Morris searched for, collected and delivered background information to editors and writers,” she said. “He also managed the editorial department’s extensive magazine collection and subscriptions, initiating computerization.”

Before that, Morris ran the record department at Fox & Sutherland in Mount Kisco, where he oversaw a complete remerchandising and the transition to CDs while continuing an emphasis on special orders. Years later, as an editor, he discussed the latest customer interaction technologies and trends with industry experts, including methods for information storage and retrieval.

“I think the town clerk needs to be Lewisboro’s chief information officer,” Morris said. “The town clerk’s office is the nexus for all of the town’s information. It’s the place everybody comes as their first contact with the town, and it’s the central point linking all the town’s departments. I believe we can better coordinate all of that information, make it more readily accessible, and ultimately save taxpayers time and money, and I think everything I’ve done up to now makes me the ideal candidate to accomplish that.”

Morris will face current Town Clerk Janet Donohue in the general elections this November. Donohue was the deputy town clerk until the town board appointed her to the town clerk's position after Cory’s resignation.

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