South Kingstown Town Clerk Honored For 4 Decades Of Service

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, RI — A town employee was honored for her decades of dedicated service to the town during Monday's town council meeting. Town Clerk Dale Holberton is stepping down after more than 39 years.

Holberton was presented with a special proclamation recognizing her work as a probate judge, town clerk and canvassing authority clerk. She has served as town clerk for the past 33 years, making her the third-longest to hold the position in the town's history.

"We the Town Council of the Town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island do hereby extend our heartfelt thanks to Dale S. Holberton for her 39 years of dedicated, admirable service to the Town and its residents, particularly to this Council and all previous Councils she served, and extend sincere appreciation for her ability to understand local politics yet never exercise partisan judgments, a true testament to her personal ethics, and we offer our congratulations and best wishes for a happy, healthy and enjoyable retirement," the proclamation reads in part, before officially naming her "Town Clerk Emeritus."

Joe "Tiger" Patrick, the commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 916, also attended to present Holberton with a certificate of recognition from the organization and a wooden flag made by a local veteran.

"We will miss working with her, but are excited for her to begin her next chapter and enjoy her time with family and friends," the town said in a statement. "As Dale said last night to a room full of community members wishing her well, she will now also have time to work on improving her golf game. We will miss you Dale, thank you for your dedicated service to your community!"

The full text of the proclamation is below.

WHEREAS, DALE S. HOLBERTON, the 16th Town Clerk in the history of the Town of South Kingstown, is retiring after more than 39 years of dedicated service, having begun her municipal career with the Town Clerk’s office in September 1980. From the start, her strong work ethic, competency, compassion and leadership were clearly evident, and in this regard, Ms. Holberton was promoted to Deputy Town Clerk in 1985 and appointed as Town Clerk on February 2, 1987. She held this position for the last 33 years, tying the record for the 3rd longest serving Town Clerk in South Kingstown with James Helme, surpassed only by Foster Sheldon who served 46 years, and Howard B. Perry, 55 years; and

WHEREAS, throughout her tenure, Dale has served as Town Clerk to 17 different Town Councils, Probate Clerk under 6 probate judges, administered 51 elections as Clerk to the Canvassing Authority, orchestrated 19 Financial Town Meetings and one all day Budget Referendum; and
WHEREAS, Dale oversaw the renovation of the former Town Council Chambers in 1989 into the current Town Clerk’s office space and Council Chambers move to its present location on the second floor, along with the renovation of the Town Hall vault in 1994, with restoration of the tin ceiling and preservation of the original wainscoting; and

WHEREAS, as a testament to her professionalism and excellence in managing complex administrative systems, Dale embraced new technologies to improve and modernize the function and efficiency of this municipality, including initiating the implementation of three automated Land Records recording systems, overseeing the conversion from handwritten ledgers and books to the current system where documents can be electronically viewed immediately. Conversion to electronic versions of other systems that support the six divisions under her charge were also implemented during her tenure, including elections, vital statistics, probate and licensing. Notwithstanding this move to computerization, she has maintained the Town’s historic records in excellent, accessible condition preserving these vital documents so important to our community’s legacy; and

WHEREAS, as staff liaison to the Saugatucket Veterans Memorial Park Commission, Dale spent countless hours gathering information and assisting the committee members in certifying the names of veterans to be recognized and honored on the new Veterans Memorial at Saugatucket Park, and again in March 2016, she oversaw the engraving of additional names on the Memorial. Dale also oversaw the restoration of the War Monument located at Hazard School, which was re-dedicated on Memorial Day weekend in 2019; and

WHEREAS, Dale’s professional achievements and leadership extend beyond her service to the Town of South Kingstown. She was designated as a Certified Municipal Clerk by The International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), having met the rigorous standards established by this venerable institution. Dale served the Rhode Island Town and City Clerks Association (RITCCA) as Treasurer from 1992-1993, Vice President in 1995 and again in 1996, and President in 1997 and 1998. Dale also served on the Executive Board of the New England Association of City and Town Clerks (NEACTC) from 1987-1988, Secretary from 1988-1989, the Budget Committee from 1991-1992, the Executive Board from 1997-2000, a member of the Legislative Policy Committee from 2000-2001 and the Executive Board from 2001–2004, and served as NEACTC conference treasurer from 2006–2012; and

WHEREAS, Dale is a lifelong resident of South Kingstown, with deep family roots going back to before the 1723 incorporation of the Town. A member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Dale was raised in her beloved Matunuck, and only left South Kingstown for a stint in New York City before coming back for good; and

WHEREAS, as we celebrate DALE’S career with the Town, she will be remembered for her integrity, utmost professionalism and unwavering dedication to her community. Her trademark signature has traveled around the world on countless birth, death and marriage records, and now she will have the time to travel the world herself, and spend her days enjoying her retirement and time with her husband Karl, as well as her sons Karl Jr. and Thaddeus, both of whom were born and raised during her tenure as Town Clerk.

NOW THEREFORE, WE THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF SOUTH KINGSTOWN, RHODE ISLAND do hereby extend our heartfelt thanks to DALE S. HOLBERTON for her thirty-nine years of dedicated, admirable service to the Town and its residents, particularly to this Council and all previous Councils she served, and extend sincere appreciation for her ability to understand local politics yet never exercise partisan judgments, a true testament to her personal ethics, and we offer our congratulations and best wishes for a happy, healthy and enjoyable retirement.
AND FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THE TOWN COUNCIL does hereby confer upon Dale S. Holberton the distinct honor of “Town Clerk Emeritus” in recognition of her many years of selfless service to the Town of South Kingstown.

WITNESS, my hand and the official seal of the Town of South Kingstown, County of Washington, State of Rhode Island, this 27th day of January, 2020.

Abel G. Collins, President