Pam Jameson is Waldoboro’s Town Clerk, a position she’s held since only last year. It’s a change for Pam but for her, change is nothing new. At 23, she was left with a young daughter. That was not her plan. Reluctantly she moved back with her parents in West Rockport. They bought diapers and food and most of all, gave her the support she needed – and after a year or so, she was able to move, this time to a trailer in Friendship. A year later, she met Chris and they married, moving to Flanders Corner in Waldoboro where they have raised their five children. At one time, Pam worked full-time as a teller at the Damariscotta Bank & Trust while waitressing at Bullwinkles Steakhouse in the evenings. When the time was right, she quit to homeschool her children. It was the happiest time in her life. And when they left to go to high school, she followed them, literally, starting off in the kitchen and ending up in the In-School Suspension Program at Medomak Valley High School. Change still follows Pam. Each day she learns more about being the Town Clerk. And when her youngest leaves for Orono to study history this fall, she and Chris will be empty nesters, something she says with pride and sadness, because she deeply loves being with her family.
I like to start my day with joy. I want people to know that I’m here to help that I’m not the enemy. If I don’t know the answer to something, I’ll seek it out so that we’ll both know the answer. Because I’m still learning about the job. I’m not perfect. It’s hard when I make a mistake. I get upset with myself at first. But then, because I’m a sticky note person, I’ll make a note and put it near my computer. And I keep a notebook. That’s how I tackle the things I need to keep in the front of my mind.
Sometimes people are frustrated and angry when things don’t go their way. I tell myself that I don’t know what their day has been like. So I slow down. I reiterate what they are saying so I understand what they are asking. Then I tell them what I can do, and what I can’t do. I think people don’t like to hear the word “no.” But for some things, we can’t bend the rules. If they come in to register a car but don’t have a bill of sale, I can’t do anything about that. But I try very hard to season my words with love and kindness, and gentleness and compassion. I don’t want anyone coming into the Town Office with dread. I want them to enter with pride and think, “This is our Town Office.” I want them always to see a smile.
The Town Clerk is charged with elections and all vital documents. There is so much learning and reading. Just the history of Waldoboro alone. It’s so rich. And all those old documents are under my thumb. They are amazing to read. Like marriages. Families. Births and deaths. The charter of how Waldoboro came to be. I never dreamed those records were right here. There’s a story with each name. Some of the people we know and a lot of them, we don’t. A really good friend of mine growing up, she lived in Waldoboro. Her parents passed away this winter. I never dreamed that I would be the one who signed their death certificate. It was very poignant for me. I get so emotional about this part of my job.
These days I’ve been thinking a lot about the challenges for Waldoboro. It would be wonderful to see downtown revitalized. But people have to support it. Otherwise, it can’t survive. If you’re going to Dunkin Donuts for your cup of coffee instead of to a café in town — and they cost about the same — well, you’re choosing what you want to be successful and what you don’t.
But what tears at me most right now is how angry people have become with each other. Social media is pulling our community apart. We just had elections and I was shaken at how much harsh language there was over things like the Friendship School or the AD Gray property. A house divided cannot stand.
If people have concerns, the most effective way is to start with our town manager and talk with her. And then, depending on what the issue is, at every Select Board meeting (and they are twice a month) there is room for public comments, where people can speak about their concerns or requests or even their praise. You can’t do anything from your couch. You can complain from there, but you can’t get anything done. You’ve got to get up and start doing something.
I love to quilt. My mom quilts. I only started four years ago but I’ve made quilts for my all my children. For the last one, my daughter wanted hers in oranges and red colors, not at all what I like. I’m a blue girl. I went, “Well, alright,” and the whole time I was thinking, “I don’t like this fabric, I don’t like this red.” But then I told myself, “This is what she wants.” And in the end, it came together. I was so surprised. It was truly beautiful.
So, maybe taking scraps of off-colors and then making them whole and into something that is beautiful, too? I think Waldoboro is a patchwork of needs. There are old cemeteries that need tidying and mowing. Parks that need people to pitch in and clean them. Gardens that need weeding. And committees where things get planned or approved. There are so many opportunities here to come together and do good for Waldoboro.
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