173: Linda Kelleher

City Clerk

City clerk Linda Kelleher worked for the City of Reading Council throughout the shut down. Her responsibilities include taking care of the council’s needs and also connecting constituents to what they need when they have issues. During the pandemic the council had to find a way to meet, remain safe, and still do the work of the council. They simultaneously needed to keep those meetings public to be transparent.

There was a steep learning curve with technology. Pre-covid very few people attended public meetings. Technology changed that. Once the meetings were on zoom and facebook live, between 400 - 1,000 people attended various meetings! 

It opened the flow of information and communication.

The biggest personal challenge for her was that one of her daughters lives in Hong Kong and she wasn’t able to see her. 

Her interaction with citizens varied. She was disappointed the federal government did not implement the National Incident Management system for the pandemic. It was employed for Hurricane Katrina and could have been very useful. 

She knows 10-20 people who have experienced covid.  One positive is the benefit of wearing a mask lessened the number of people who experienced the flu and common colds. Her wish for the future is that a pandemic never happens again.