By PHOEBE ROBINSON/Community Columnist

The city clerk is the oldest of public servants. Ancient Greece had a city secretary and in Biblical times Paul owed his safety to a town clerk in Ephesus. The office of clerk was established in 1272 A.D. in England as the historian of a community. It is the only government position required by law for every municipality as the records custodian.

Gina Moore Antolini is Columbiana’s extremely competent city clerk.

Hired in 2004 as assistant city clerk, Antolini became the acting city clerk on Aug. 3, 2004, and city clerk in October 2006 after earning her Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) professional designation, required by law to be a city clerk.

Antolini is well respected in her field earning the following designations: Certified Court Magistrate (CCM); Master Municipal Clerk (MMC) and Professional Human Resource (PHR). She is the immediate past president of the Alabama Association of Municipal Clerks and Administrators (AAMCA), serves on two committees with International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) and is clerk representative to the Board of the Alabama Historical Records Advisory Board, appointed by Gov. Robert Bentley.

In October 2012, Antolini spoke at the League of Municipalities to more than 1,200 newly elected officials across the state, including Columbiana’s mayor and City Council.

Antolini is the daughter of Charles and Barbara Moore. Barbara Moore was recently elected to the Columbiana City Council, District No. 2. Her paternal grandparents, Arthur and Edna Howard Moore, and great-grandparents, John and Rentha Adams Howard, all lived in Columbiana. Her father, Antolini, and daughter Deidra all graduated from Shelby County High School.

Antolini is responsible for: preparation of all meetings, agendas, minutes; plays an integral part and monitoring of budgets; manages human resources (HR); codification of city ordinances; and technical support. Antolini is assisted by her competent team: Fran Sharp, assistant city clerk; Joanna Seale, revenue officer; and Kathy Corbitt, clerical assistant.

“As custodian of the city’s records, I take my job seriously,” said Antolini. “One of my passions is education and professional development within the clerk’s profession. That is why I like to serve and help others achieve knowledge and professionalism in their jobs.”

Phoebe Donald Robinson can be reached by email at phoeberobinson@bellsouth.net.