Megan McCauley was hired as the new city clerk in a unanimous decision by Boulder’s City Council during a special meeting on Monday, April 10.
McCauley’s contract officially begins Wednesday, May 1. She will fill the position left vacant by Ellen Harne, who held the role for close to five years.
City Council member Drew Dawson led the discussion, and enthusiastically recommended McCauley, who he said “flat nailed” her interview.
“I’ve conducted a whole lot of interviews in my bureaucratic life – that’s pretty much what bureaucrats do – and [McCauley] is one of the finest people I’ve ever interviewed,” he said. “We were blown away by how capable, poised, intelligent and, frankly, how good [McCauley] would be for this position.”
McCauley, who most recently worked as department head of the Jefferson County Safety Department, has an extensive background in government. For close to three years she was an office assistant for the Jefferson County Road Department. She also served as claims examiner for Boulder’s Montana State Fund, managing claim caseload, tracking expenditures and claiming medical statuses.
Before becoming claims examiner of the aforementioned fund, she worked as claims assistant, a role that included billing, management, payroll and other skills listed on her resume, such as data entry, specifications, correspondence and communication.
A Helena native, McCauley graduated from Montana Tech, where she received a Bachelor of Business Administration in information technology, management and marketing.
Fellow City Council member Bear Taylor also shared his support for McCauley, saying she is extremely familiar with claims processes.
“And she’s excited about the position,” added Mayor Rusty Giulio.
Although supportive of the hire, Giulio abstained from making the motion, passing it to Dawson as a result of a potential conflict of interest. McCauley, Dawson explained, is the niece of Giulio’s girlfriend.
“That does not characterize as nepotism under Montana state law, however, we wanted to be clear about it,” Dawson said, adding that he’d also be the one to sign the offer of employment.
Another potential conflict was addressed during the 10-minute meeting, as Dawson brought up ongoing litigation against the city from the McCauley ranch. A clause was added to the letter of employment, Dawson said, shielding McCauley from any correspondence or conversation that deal with that litigation.
Dawson said he does not anticipated any issues.
“This is simply out of an abundance of caution for both sides,” he said. “That’s how we function these days: out of an abundance of caution.”
The lawsuit does not involve McCauley’s immediate family.
Although McCauley will not begin the position officially until May 1, Dawson said she will work with former clerk Harne after hours, will be present at the next City Council meeting and will begin getting acquainted with the budgeting process.
