Content to stay behind the scenes for the first few months, new Escalon Deputy City Clerk Jamie Pires has now moved to the forefront, taking her place at the dais for city council meetings. Her first appearance as an official part of the dais was due on Tuesday night, Jan. 22; the meeting was delayed a day because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday observance on Monday.
The official title for Pires is Account Clerk II/Deputy City Clerk. Her duties, explained City Manager Tammy Alcantor, will range from accounts payable to customer service, processing payments, filing, agendas, taking and preparing meeting minutes, resolutions, and ordinances, fielding public records requests, and more. She will also work on updating the city website for the finance and utility departments and eventually move into handling the utility billing. She actually took over following the departure of former deputy clerk Adri Crim and was one of several applicants for the position.
Originally from New Mexico, Pires is a longtime California resident, attending Manteca’s Nile Garden School and then attending and graduating from Sierra High School, also in Manteca. She then majored in Political Science at Stanislaus State.
“I always wanted to either be a teacher in government or work in government,” she said.
Married to an EHS graduate, Anthony Pires, she was interested in the opportunity to work where she lives. She also was happy to apply and take the chance to leave her previous post, where she was an assistant to the district manager at a busy retail location. This work, she said, is less stressful and more enjoyable.
“I was in accounts payable at first,” she added. “I really enjoy working with the ladies here, learning the inner workings of the city. Tammy is also a great boss to have, to work with.”
Pires has lived in Escalon for the last five years; she and Anthony have two children, a four-year-old and a one-year-old.
“My first priority as a parent is that it’s safe,” she noted of living and working in the community. “People walk around neighborhoods, I love that we’re far away from the noise.”
As far as the work, she is looking forward to stepping up to take on more of the duties for the deputy clerk position and hopes to serve the city well.
“The initial interview was done with three panel members: myself, and finance staff from the City of Modesto and Riverbank. We had a second interview with the top four that were interviewed by (city staffer) Beckie Robbins and myself,” Alcantor explained of the overall process. “We received several qualified applicants in our recruitment and it was a difficult decision to make between her and one another applicant, both of which were local residents. Ultimately her education in Political Science played a factor in hiring her. Jamie has been a great addition to the staff and I look forward to seeing her grow in the position.”
