NORTH CANAAN — It’s Jess times two at the selectmen’s office at Town Hall. Jessie MacDonald Lawrence has been named by First Selectman Jesse Bunce as the new administrative aide.
“We’re all learning together,” she said this week, as she and her assistant Teri King Aitken greeted visitors and worked through the stream of paperwork that comes with running a town office.
The selectmen’s office serves as a “hub” at Town Hall, she said, working closely with personnel from all the departments. She is responsible for getting out all minutes and agendas, paying bills and creating the monthly newsletter, among many other tasks.
Lawrence was chosen from a pool of more than 90 applicants. The last aide left in November and former Selectman Christian Allyn and Aitken, who worked in the tax collector’s office for 25 years, stepped in on a temporary basis for a few months until a permanent person could be named.
Lawrence is a hometown figure, having grown up in Canaan. The daughter of Tammy and George MacDonald, she graduated from the Explorations School in Winsted and has worked in customer service since then. She owns a photography business and loves capturing local events through her lens. In her spare time, she plays on a co-ed softball team.
“Some people have been surprised to see me here,” she said.
She is enjoying the job and looks forward to working with what she calls “the team” in years to come.
As for the present, “I’m here to keep Jesse in line,” she joked.
