Island Hires Town Hall Secretary

Island hires Town Hall secretary

By: DENESHIA GRAHAM    Of The Post and Courier Staff
Originally Published on: 01/09/03

     With a New Year comes a new employee to the town of James Island.
     Frances Simmons recently was hired as the Town Hall secretary/receptionist. She began work Monday.
     Simmons worked for the past 17 years at Charleston Place hotel downtown, where she served as an administrative assistant and in the human resources department, in addition to holding other positions over the years.
     Her current duties include secretarial functions of typing and fielding phone calls, and greeting people, Mayor Mary Clark said.
     "We sorely needed that," said Clark. "We really used our volunteers to the maximum."
     The town thrived on the generosity of donors and citizens since its incorporation in May, because it had no funds. In addition to donating virtually all of Town Hall's furnishings and office equipment, volunteers also have donated their time to help the town get off to a smooth start.
     Simmons said she is honored to join the staff of this new town.
     "I see it as challenging, ... an opportunity," she said. "I hope to bring an administrative support to the mayor and the town, and a presence for the public."
     Clark believes that she will be a great asset. "She is really a personable person, and I think the town's people will like her," she said.
     Town staff members Marie Copeland and Lee Kline agree. They interviewed applicants for the position and recommended the top three to Clark.
     "She was just, in our estimation, the best person for the job," Kline said.
     While Kline has volunteered as the office manager since the town's start, Copeland was the only full-time employee, hired as the town clerk/treasurer in September. The approval of a $45,000 loan from Southcoast Bank and the certification of $146,000 in state-shared revenue funds made both hirings possible.
     "This (hiring of Simmons) will greatly relieve Lee and allow her to take up some of her own life again," Clark said, adding that Copeland will be able to concentrate more on her job duties also.
     Now, Clark said the town plans to hire an administrative assistant, who would work more closely with the mayor. Ideally, she said, they want someone with knowledge of Web sites, other computer skills and grant writing. Clark said she hopes this position will be filled this month.
     Simmons and her husband, Charles, live in West Ashley. While she's not a native of James Island, she became familiar with the area when one of her five daughters attended James Island Christian School.
     Deneshia Graham covers West Ashley. Contact her at 937-5744.