Town Clerk Candidate Eyes Extended Hours, Improved Website

Kathy Kokoszka is hoping to bring Middlefield's Town Clerk’s office into the 21st Century. 

The lifelong town resident will challenge 15-year town clerk Donna Golub on November 5 and, if elected, plans to offer extended office hours and improve the town's fledgling website.

“Several people have said they would like to see some evening hours, possibly some weekend hours,” Kokoszka says. “I would embrace it. I would like to make the town hall accessible to people whose work schedule doesn’t allow them to get in there.”

Currently, the Town Clerk’s office is open just 37 hours a week and closes early on Thursday and Friday.  

A small business owner, Kokoszka’s background includes work as a record technician and office manager at Hartford Hospital, and more recently with several publishing companies in the Hartford area, including as founder of Life Publications.

Her training and work in the graphics and design field, she says, makes her the perfect candidate to improve Middlefield’s website, which has been criticized by some as lacking up-to-date information.

“I can do so much more,” she says. “The job is no longer a clerical position. The position has changed to now where you have greater responsibility.”

Kokoszka’s desire to serve the town runs almost as deep as her family roots in Middlefield.

“This is my town. I was born here. My father was born here. My grandparents were here. The town is an extension of me,” she says. “The town is priceless. Because of that, I want to see it protected. I want to see it taken care of.” 

A Republican, Kokoszka also plans to improve recordkeeping at town hall by developing a records retention plan for the many important documents currently being kept in storage.

She says she’ll work closely with other town clerks to “bring the town hall more into the future. That means archiving. That means website. That means technology.”