Roseboro mayor David Alexander swears in new town clerk Tony Blalock. Holding the Bible for Blalock is his wife, Jayme.

ROSEBORO — The position of town clerk has officially been filled with a full-time person.

Commissioners for the town held a special public meeting Tuesday night for the purpose of hiring Tony Blalock as the new town clerk and finance director. This position was left vacant earlier in the year when Nancy West resigned due to other opportunities.

Blalock officially took his position Wednesday and was hired at a salary of $42,400. The new town clerk comes to Roseboro with over 33 years of experience working with the North Carolina Municipalities Council in Raleigh. In December, Blalock said during a telephone interview Wednesday afternoon, the organization went out of business and having worked with local governments previously, he felt it would be a natural transition to move into the clerk’s position.

“I liked being in a small environment,” Blalock shared. “I have passed through Roseboro many times traveling to White Lake and Myrtle Beach and I thought working in this area would be interesting.”

Blalock said he recently made a day trip to Roseboro from his home in the McGee’s Crossroads area of Johnston County and while visiting he dropped his resume and application off at the town hall.

“I have a lot to learn seeing that I am actually working with a town for the first time,” Blalock shared. “I am looking forward to working in the town of Roseboro.”

According to mayor pro tem Alice Butler, who made the recommendation to hire Blalock as the new town clerk, he comes to the western town with a great deal of experience working for a not-for-profit corporation, assisting banks, asset managers and investment banks in evaluating credit quality for their underwriting, lending activities with local governments in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Duties for the town clerk include taking minutes for the town at meetings, overseeing utilities, working with grants and grant applications for the town, working with the NC STEP program and upholding the town’s ordinances.

In his letter of consideration for the position, Blalock informed the board that his experience includes “analysis of both tax-exempt and taxable loans and securities, financial statement analysis, budget analysis and capital improvements plans analysis, as they relate to issuance of municipal bonds and the impact of future debt.”

Butler added during her recommendation that Blalock was familiar with the Local Government Commission, as well, has worked in all aspects of local government, including finance and human resource.

“I have served as the primary point of contact with finance directors, debt managers and city/town manager in updating bond ratings on all North Carolina counties and more than 250 municipalities across the state,” Blalock stated in his interest letter. “I have worked closely with the staff of the State Treasurer’s Office (LGC) throughout my career and was a guest speaker at the UNC School of Government on Bond Ratings and Capital Improvements Plans for several years.”

Blalock deems himself as self-motivated. He has experience in preparing draft minutes and agendas for the Board of Directors for the corporation. Blalock has been a member of the N.C. Government Finance Officers Association since 1993, which he says has allowed him to better understand issues facing local governments.

Blalock and his wife Jayme have one daughter who is just finishing her freshman year at East Carolina University.

The former full-time clerk, West, was hired in July 2013 and resigned in May. The board hired Annette Jackson as the interm town clerk until the vacant position could be filled.