Uzbekistan RPCV Joshua D. Meduna is new assistant director of elections in Worcester Massachusetts



Mr. Meduna brings to the position an “impressive and unique” résumé, which includes an 18-month stint in Uzbekistan with the Peace Corps, where he trained election officials on the running of elections. “He set up voter registration drives and trained election officials in a country where people were previously not allowed to vote,” Mr. Rushford said. “His global view of basic voting rights from his international experience, and the fact that he is multilingual, will make him a most professional addition to the staff of the city clerk’s office.”

Uzbekistan RPCV Joshua D. Meduna is new assistant director of elections in Worcester Massachusetts

City clerk names elections assistant

New hire brings a global perspective

By Nick Kotsopoulos TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
nkotsopoulos@telegram.com

WORCESTER— City Clerk David J. Rushford has hired Joshua D. Meduna as assistant director of elections.

Mr. Rushford, who recently became the city’s new elections chief, said he selected the 26-year-old city resident out of a field of 10 candidates who had applied for the job.

He said Mr. Meduna brings to the position an “impressive and unique” résumé, which includes an 18-month stint in Uzbekistan with the Peace Corps, where he trained election officials on the running of elections.

“He set up voter registration drives and trained election officials in a country where people were previously not allowed to vote,” Mr. Rushford said. “His global view of basic voting rights from his international experience, and the fact that he is multilingual, will make him a most professional addition to the staff of the city clerk’s office.”

Mr. Meduna, who has been front office manager at the Crowne Plaza hotel since July 2005, is expected to begin his new job Aug. 20.

While City Council approval is not needed for the appointment, Mr. Rushford said the hiring has been held up pending final City Council approval of an ordinance that creates the position.

A final vote was supposed to take place Tuesday, but the council last week voted to cancel that meeting. But five city councilors — District 5 Councilor Frederick C. Rushton, Councilor-at-Large Dennis L. Irish, Councilor-at-Large Joseph M. Petty, Councilor-at-Large Kathleen M. Toomey and District 1 Councilor Joffrey A. Smith — yesterday formally called for a special meeting Aug. 14 by filing a petition with the city clerk’s office.

At that meeting, all the items that were supposed to be taken up at Tuesday’s regularly scheduled council meeting will be addressed, including final adoption of the ordinance creating the position of assistant director of elections.

Last month, Gov. Deval L. Patrick signed a bill placing the operations and responsibilities of the city’s Election Commission under the control of the city clerk. That became necessary when Craig A.J. Manseau, the former executive director of the Election Commission, resigned in June to become the elections chief in Newton.

To fill the void created by Mr. Manseau’s departure, City Manager Michael V. O’Brien recommended a reorganization that put the city clerk in charge of running elections in Worcester. In addition, the city clerk’s office has been split into two operations: the City Clerk Division and Election Division, all of which are now overseen by Mr. Rushford. The Election Division currently has only two full-time employees.

Mr. Rushford said the city manager agreed to create and add the position of assistant director of elections as part of the reorganization.

Instead of hiring a new executive director to the Election Commission, that position was eliminated and the salary that had been budgeted for it has been reallocated, with Mr. Rushford receiving an $18,000 stipend for assuming his new election duties, while the assistant director of elections will be paid about $45,000.

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Headlines: August, 2007; Peace Corps Uzbekistan; Directory of Uzbekistan RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Uzbekistan RPCVs; Elections; City Government; Massachusetts

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