Grieder leaves in two weeks; MacDonald's future uncertain
Change on the horizon in Town Clerk's office
BY MARY LANCASTER
Sparked by his interest in historic preservation, but also seeking change and a new career challenge, Assistant Town Clerk James Grieder officially resigned from the Town Clerk's office last Thursday after learning he was the successful candidate to become the Historic District Commission's Assistant Administrator.

Grieder: "When I made the decision to [leave] I was terrified. It's been five years of my life and Catherine is like my mom. She's like the town's mom."

Grieder, who has been Town Clerk Catherine Stover's assistant for five years, is replacing Aaron Marcavitch who left the HDC in early January to take over as Executive Director of the Nantucket Housing Office. Grieder moves into his new role in two weeks.

"I became interested in the history of preservation because of working on the Tuckernuck Advisory Committee of the HDC and I was also involved in restoration work being done on the Freemasons Lodge on Main Street. I am on that board of trustees," Grieder said. "I wanted to be more involved in historic preservation and still be with the town, and it was something different - a change of pace. At Town Meeting I'll be able to sit back and do my crosswords again and actually enjoy Town Meeting.

"I've learned a lot being in the clerk's office," he added. "When I made the decision to [leave] I was terrified. It's been five years of my life and Catherine is like my mom. She's like the town's mom."

Grieder, 36, is an island native. He grew up in Foxborough, Mass., and was a philosophy major at American University. After graduation he worked for his grandfather at Nantucket Distributing Company, then did a few assorted things such as assemble the Mouse Trap game in a mainland factory, work for a private investigator, test field phones for an Army contractor, and help with the nonprofit, nonpartisan voter information service in Oregon called Project Vote Smart. He returned to the island in 1999 and prior to joining the Town Clerk's office was assistant innkeeper at the Union Street Inn.

He described his duties in the clerk's office as essentially providing assistance that ensures the office functions effectively and clears away some of the minutiae that hampers the leader's abilities, a similar responsibility he will have in the HDC office.

"It is exciting to think about doing something new," he said, noting that he is currently studying the HDC bible, 'Building with Nantucket in Mind.' "I think it will be a good change and I look forward to working with Mark [Voigt, HDC Administrator], but I will always think highly of Catherine and the clerk's office."

Asked if he has any particular career goal under consideration, he said, "Ultimately, I would like to be self-sufficient as a writer. I love to write and I've got a couple of books in the pipeline, so we'll see where they go."

Besides losing Grieder, Stover does not yet know if Administrative Clerk Linda MacDonald will stay on through the year. MacDonald, who will complete her fifth year in the office this July 1, is leaving at the end of July for a month of travel with her husband. MacDonald was born in Auckland, New Zealand. She said she spent most of her young adulthood traveling, then going broke, then working between trips as an executive secretary at IBM's New Zealand headquarters.

"They were very kind to me and they always took me back," she said.

After "suffering through a tough winter" with her sister in the United Kingdom, the two women discovered embassy job postings there for Nantucket chambermaids at the former Corner House on Centre Street. Her sister landed one of the positions, but MacDonald decided to try life in San Francisco for a year. While she had summered on Nantucket a number of times and was employed by Tresses and the Day Spa, at the former Top Drawer, and by Bramhall and Dunn, and had her own cleaning business, after moving permanently to the island she was hired by Stover in 2002.

On their upcoming trip, the MacDonalds plan to enjoy the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Scotland, a concert of pipe bands which will also be attended by her parents, coming from New Zealand and his, who live in Inverness, Scotland. From there they will spend some time with his mother and father, then do a stretch of touring.

"And once again, I'll be broke," she joked.

Though the couple intend to return to Nantucket after the vacation, the familiar lack of affordable housing may prevent them from staying here. MacDonald said they have a wonderful landlord, but would really like a home of their own, something that does not look financially feasible.

Needless to say, Stover will miss Grieder's presence and can only hope MacDonald's situation improves and she remains with the office. Grieder's position was posted this week but Stover is willing to postpone such an action for MacDonald's role.

"I hate to lose him," she said of Grieder. "He's intelligent, he's funny, he's great to work with. Our loss is the HDC's great gain." I