PITTSFIELD, Mass. — City Clerk Jody Phillips will not seek re-election but Assistant Clerk of Elections Michele Cetti will seek the job.

 

Cetti announced her candidacy for city clerk at Dottie's Coffee Lounge on Wednesday. Flanked by supporters, Cetti said her seven years in the clerk's office has prepared her for the job.

 

"This was something I thought was a possibility in the future. I just realized the future is now," Cetti said. 

 

She was hired by former City Clerk and now Mayor Linda Tyer in 2010. The following year, she became the assistant clerk of elections and registration, a job she's had since. She has assisted in conducting 20 elections as well as two recounts. She has administered eight city census projects and oversaw the 2010 redistricting. 

 

She has also been involved in issuing vital records, processing marriage intentions, dog licenses, and more. 

 

"My experience working in the clerk's and voter's office has prepared me and makes me uniquely qualified to be Pittsfield's next City Clerk. And I'm starting today. I have already taken out nomination papers and I'm excited to be introducing myself to the voters," Cetti said.

 

Cetti is a Pittsfield native, went to Mount Ida College, and then returned to work at General Electric. She lives in the city, where she raised two daughters, Christina and Cassidy.

 

She had considered running for the position two years ago when Tyer stepped down from the job. But Phillips, who had previously been city clerk, entered the race and Cetti opted not to run against her. 

 

"For the past year and a half, I have enjoyed working closely with Jody Phillips, the current city clerk. All of us will truly miss her and the humor she brought to the clerk's office. I wish her happiness and success in her next endeavor," Cetti said.

 

Phillips had been mulling a re-election bid but opted against it.

 

"This was undoubtedly a difficult decision and one that I hadn't predicted I'd be making at this point. While we all do our best to make plans for our futures, sometimes circumstances change and so do those plans," Phillips wrote in an email on Tuesday night saying she would not seek re-election.

 

"There is still a lot of work to be done before my term ends, and I look forward to welcoming in a new clerk at the end of the year and helping to make that transition a smooth one.  It goes without saying that I will always be grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve our city and will continue to find ways to contribute through volunteering and other community efforts."

 

Tyer and City Council President Peter Marchetti both attended Cetti's announcement and signed her nomination papers.