FREEHOLD- Some people need a lot of training when they start a new job, but for Traci DiBenedetto the transition to her new position should be smooth sailing.
DiBenedetto, 28, of Freehold Township, who has been the assistant to retiring Freehold Borough municipal clerk Linda Cottrell for seven years, is expected to move into Cottrell’s position without any major problems.
Cottrell said DiBenedetto has acquired the knowledge and skills required of the position and will be ready to go when she officially begins her new job on Feb. 4.
In addition to working alongside Cottrell and gaining on-the-job experience, DiBenedetto has completed the coursework required to become certified as a RegisteredMunicipal Clerk. Her studies included Introduction to the Duties of the Municipal Clerk, Advanced Duties of the Municipal Clerk, Local Election Administration, Information and Records Management, and Municipal Finance Administration for Municipal Clerks.
DiBenedetto said she has always enjoyed working at Borough Hall. She started her career with the municipality in 2000 after attending Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, for two years. She spent time in various departments before finding a permanent spot in the clerk’s office.
As an assistant, DiBenedetto helped Cottrell issue various licenses and prepare meeting agendas. As clerk she will prepare the agenda for council meetings and attend the meetings, acting as secretary of the governing body.
DiBenedetto will serve as the chief administrative office in all elections held in town and as the chief registrar of voters.
She said she is happy she will be able to maintain the relationships she has with her co-workers. DiBenedetto said she enjoys working with the people in her office, with residents and with Freehold’s elected officials and Borough Administrator Joseph Bellina.
DiBenedetto, who graduated fromFreeholdHigh School in 1997, has livedmuch of her life in Freehold Township, but has spent a great deal of time in the borough.
Helping out or just hanging out at her grandfather Barney DiBenedetto’s place of business, Joe’s Barber Shop, South Street, DiBenedetto said she spent a lot of time in the downtown area growing up.
The barber shop where her grandfather, Barney, her grandmother, Peggy, and her uncle,Mike, (Freehold Borough Councilman Michael DiBenedetto) still work was a place she said she “grew up in.”
DiBenedetto is married and has a son, Tyler James, who is 5 months old.
As Cottrell prepares to depart Borough Hall, she said DiBenedetto is capable of taking on the job of municipal clerk.
“She’s a quick learner and has all the qualities needed to do this work,” Cottrell said. “She’s great at multi-tasking, good with the public, doesn’t get rattled and she has a great sense of humor.”
Cottrell said she has watched DiBenedetto “grow and mature” as she has become a wife and mother.
“She’s almost like one of my own kids,” Cottrell said, adding that she and DiBenedetto hit it off right from the beginning.
“That doesn’t always happen, you know,” Cottrell said.
Bellina said DiBenedetto is a “fine young lady who has grown into the position” of municipal clerk.
“She has enough maturity and moxie to handle the responsibilities and duties that find their way to the municipal clerk on a day-to-day basis,” the administrator said.