Meet Lynda Bushong, Arizona Municipal Clerks’ Association President

Lynda Bushong
President, AMCA
City Clerk, Yuma

Please tell us a little about your background.
I had a dream childhood growing up with four siblings. My family typically spent our summers camping and boating at a lake or on the Colorado River. I grew up in Huntington Beach, California, but my family moved several times during my youth, so I also spent time in Eugene, Oregon and Running Springs, California, which gave me some insight where I’d like to live as an adult. I moved to Arizona in 2004 and to Yuma in 2008, where I plan to retire.

Prior to working in the Yuma City Clerk’s Office, I worked as the Executive Secretary to the Superintendent of the Palo Verde Unified School District in Riverside County. I’m proud to say that I worked my way up to that position after serving as the District Receptionist, Secretary of Curriculum Services, and then the Personnel Assistant. There is a lot of knowledge gained when you advance through the ranks and I am sincerely thankful for the experience.

I also studied business and social behaviors in college and feel that my educational experience has also had a big impact on the movement in my career.

I am married and have two sons, who both served our great country in the U.S. Army. In our spare time, my husband and I enjoy spending time in the beautiful Arizona mountains, jeeping in the desert and simply hanging out in the back yard with our family and friends.

What prompted you to go into the municipal clerk profession?
When I decided to move to Yuma I did a lot of thinking of what direction I really wanted to go with my career. I had been involved with local politics for over 10 years at that time and wasn’t quite sure it was right for me. However, when I saw the advertisement for the Deputy City Clerk I decided to submit my application and see if it was meant to be. After my first interview I was corresponding via email with my soon-to-be boss, and I just knew I was where I should be. It is an amazing feeling when a person can influence your life, and, I give a lot of credit to my mentors. From day one these two ladies have been an inspiration to me; Brigitta Kuiper who had over 13 years of experience in the Clerk’s Office at that time, and the Deputy that I was initially hired to replace, Edna Martin, had 28 years. These ladies helped mold me, gave me resources to further my knowledge and helped me to be confident in myself. I firmly believe their exceptional mentoring is one of the reasons I was able to advance to the City Clerk’s positon, after serving only two years, when Brigitta moved on to serve as the City Clerk in Tempe.

One of the characteristics that I admire most about my mentors was having patience, listening and teaching me in a way that resonated with me. They allowed me to ask a multitude of questions, sometimes the same one more than once, but never made me feel bad for asking. I feel that no question is a dumb question – so when I am told by others that I made them feel welcome, important, and worth listening to, it really makes me feel like I’ve come full circle.

The clerk’s profession offers fair and impartial service to citizens. It is truly a job of high integrity and honor. With each year I serve as the City Clerk, I have learned new laws and processes that have benefitted me personally and professionally. This job has given me a great opportunity to serve the citizens of the City of Yuma and even become a friend to many of them.

What goals are you most proud of that have been achieved since you became president of AMCA?
The association has been moving in a positive direction and I truly wanted to continue that movement. However, I wanted to focus on getting more information out to the membership, growing the membership and moving forward in our strategic plan as well.

We have added several communication efforts, including venturing onto Facebook. Our newsletter published quarterly by our Communications Committee, which has grown to great proportions this year, now has a corner specifically for information related to Board activity. We also post a summary of Board actions to the website after each meeting.

With the help of our Membership Committee and regional leaders, as of February, our membership has already grown by 32 members. The association expanded our membership to include healthcare and fire districts, the Central Arizona Project and counties which have all added new dynamics to the group and perspectives that add to our learning experiences.

Our strategic plan was prepared by an ad hoc committee that surveyed the membership and based the goals on the findings of that survey. It was our job to assign tasks within the goals to the appropriate Board member or committee, as well as our partnering companions, the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. The strategic plan will always be a work in progress document, so it will need to be reviewed annually to continue the forward movement in the direction of the members’ request.

What do you still hope to accomplish before your term as president expires in July?
It is March and I am struggling to make sure I can do as much as possible within these last few months as President. One of the best accomplishments I can do is to communicate with the new Board so they have the knowledge to continue on this positive path.

I have learned that the AMCA Board is a working team and when the year changes the Board keeps on moving, growing and succeeding. It is a great feeling to be part of that!! I fully intend to be an active Past President, not only assisting where the President needs me, but also taking on special projects that are long-term beneficial to the association.

I am proud of being part of a TEAM of men and women who aspire to do good things and not only be successful themselves, but be part of those around them being successful.