Enos Gardner:1880-1898 (Municipal Clerk)
Charles K. Hurlbert: 1898-1924 (Municipal Clerk) (Municipal Clerk-Treasurer 1913-1924)
Note: From 1880-1913 the positions of Municipal Clerk and Municipal Treasurer were two distinct positions. The positions were combined in 1913. Although in most cases the person holding the position was known as the “Municipal Clerk” and usually signed the minutes as such, the title was clearly “Municipal Clerk-Treasurer,” and at times the full title is used in the records.
Bernard H. Hurlbert: 1924-1951 (Municipal Clerk-Treasurer)
CyriacI. Boudreau: 1951-1976 (Municipal Clerk-Treasurer)
Jerry P. Doucet: 1976-1990 (Municipal Clerk-Treasurer)
Robert G. Thibault: 1991- Dec. 2000 (Municipal Clerk-Treasurer)
Note: In 2001 following the advice of Richard Ramsay in a report commissioned by the Municipal Council, the Municipality of the District of Argyle chose to opt for the administrative model of hiring a Chief Administrative Officer. In 2014 some municipal units throughout Nova Scotia still employ Municipal Clerks, while other jurisdictions have adopted CAO positions.
Dennis Egyedy: 1 Oct. 2001- June 2002 (Chief Administrative Officer)
Neil LeBlanc: Sept. 2003 – Aug. 2006 (Chief Administrative Officer)
Alain Muise: 10 Oct. 2006 - (Chief Administrative Officer)
Note: There have been periods time when due to the death of the Municipal Clerk, or due to their resignation and/or replacement the position has remained vacant for a time. During many of these periods a staff member has been appointed to fill the position in an “Acting” capacity, and at other times consultants have been hired to assist. In all cases these have been temporary appointments only and do not represent holding either the position or title.
Recorders of the Minutes: It appears that from 1880 to 1924, Enos Gardner, and then Charles K. Hurlbert were the actual persons recording the minutes of Council and entering them in the minute books. Bernard H. Hurlburt, from 1924-1951, appears to have done likewise, although his method for much of his tenure was to glue the officially published minutes of Annual and Semi-annual meetings of Council into the minute books, and enter the minutes of other or special meetings in handwriting. Cyriac Boudreau came into the position in 1951, by which time the Municipality had had a formal business office for six years. He appears to have done most of the recording and entering of minutes himself, with some assistance from his limited staff. Some minutes during this time period are typed and the typed pages glued into the minute books. Other minutes are entered by hand. Jerry P. Doucet (1976-1990) entered the majority of the formal minutes in his own hand-writing in the minute books. When he used staff members as recorders at the meetings and/or to enter the minutes by hand into the minute books, their names are recorded. It should be noted that Clerks previous to 1990 usually recorded their minutes in Draft form, and then later copied them over into the official minute books. Within the municipal records some of these “draft” copies have survived and been retained. During the years 1976-1990, when Jerry P. Doucet was the Municipal Clerk-Treasurer there are usually typed copies of the minutes found in the records of the Clerk, while the official minutes recorded in the minutes books were entered by hand. The year 1990 really represents the end of the Clerk being the actual recorder of most minutes.
During the tenure of Robert G. Thibault (1991-2000) the minutes eventually began to be maintained in typed form only, and usually staff did the actual recording at meetings, and the recording of the minutes afterward. The use of recording devices was used during this period as well. Since that time almost all meetings have had a range of staff members as recorders. The Municipal Clerk and/or the CAO of course reads and signs off on these minutes and then they have to be approved by Council at their subsequent meetings. The recorder’s name is always given.