As Taft’s City Clerk, Louise Hudgens’ life is certainly busy.
She’s busy keeping track of all the city’s records. She’s busy taking care of council members’ mail and phone messages. She’s busy overseeing items placed on the agenda and its preparation.
And the tasks don’t end there.
Hudgens is also responsible for ensuring that staff reports and other backup materials are in order, transferring city records into an electronic format, destroying documents (which means she must work closely with other departments to make sure that they are in compliance with their records-retention schedules), and attending all City Council meetings and recording the minutes.
And during election years, like this one, she’s also responsible for handling all the paperwork and file forms for those wishing to run for a municipal office. In other words, she’s the go-to person for elections at the local level and the one person who deals with the county to make sure that everything gets on the ballot correctly.
“As elected city clerk, I am responsible to the citizens of Taft,” she said. And she takes her responsibility to the citizens of Taft very seriously.
Hudgens, who first started working for the City of Taft as an account clerk in the Finance Department and later worked as deputy city clerk, was elected as city clerk in 2004. This year, she’s running unopposed for re-election.
“I’ve just always enjoyed working; I enjoy staying busy,” she said. “It’s a good job, and I’m not really ready to give it up.”
With a background in business, Hudgens moved back to Taft in 1975, after working in the finance departments of several major firms, including Hewlett-Packard. She and her husband, a businessman, had a market together before she began working for the city.
When she first started as an account clerk for the city, there were not a lot of jobs available for women in the Taft area, she said, but there were a lot of government jobs available.
“I’ve always felt that government jobs are more stable than private industry,” she commented.
Some of the highlights of her time as city clerk include working closely with the city manager (there have been four since Hudgens first assumed the post) and assisting in the planning of the city’s future.
“Really, every day of my life (is a highlight), because every day is a new challenge,” she said.
Running unopposed this year means that much of the pressure of campaigning (and spending the money that accompanies campaigning) is off.
“I would (campaign and spend money campaigning) if I had to, but I feel like I am qualified for the job whether I run opposed or unopposed,” she said, citing that she already has the experience necessary to do the job and is even certified as a municipal clerk (in April 2004).
“My next term, I would like to see all the records in electronic format. Being the keeper of all the records, I want to make sure they’re all in an organized manner and easily accessible for my successor.
“I just have always believed in doing a good job, and I’ve always enjoyed working. And even though I’m nearing retirement age, I can’t envision myself as retired,” she said, adding that she plans on working for at least three or four more years before retiring.