FULTON – Fulton City Clerk/Chamberlain Daniel O’Brien is now wrapping up his first week of retirement after dedicating over three decades to working for the city.
O’Brien began his long career of working for the people of Fulton in June 1989 in the Department of Public Works on the back of a garbage truck.
From 1989 until he started working as city clerk/chamberlain in summer 2014, he wore many hats across the city government’s departments, including DPW, and Water and Sewer.
Following the retirement of the DPW commissioner in 2003, O’Brien said there was a terrible winter in 2004 that proved to be a challenge for the department without having filled its leadership role. O’Brien was asked to take the position, which also absorbed the water commissioner.
He remained DPW commissioner for 10 years until he was asked by the late Mayor Ron Woodward, Sr. to take the position of city clerk/chamberlain, the same office O’Brien’s father had worked in and retired from. He began the work in August 2014 and was officially appointed in January 2015.
During the time before his most recent position, he had gotten involved in the budgetary process on a departmental level and gained experience in it, something he would need to be very familiar with when working on the city’s budget each year.
“I had started to develop a knowledge of the financial picture of municipal government and municipal accounting,” O’Brien said. “It made some logistical sense for me to come over and do the clerk/chamberlain. I had worked with the staff here for years.”
Before coming into his final role, O’Brien had gained vast knowledge across several city departments, making him a resource of answers during many Common Council meetings.
He has faced several challenges during his time at the city, including some harsh winters, the collapse of the DPW garage almost 15 years ago, responding to the loss of industry in the city and learning how to make the city work with limited resources, all of which gave him valuable experience.
O’Brien said while technology has evolved the process of how the city government works, it still accomplishes the same essential services as when he began working for the city.
“You don’t realize all the underlying things that have to happen to make a city function,” O’Brien said. “And I think we’ve always, in Fulton, kept that going no matter how bleak the future looked or anything like that. We always kept those services to the best quality that we could give to the public.”
He said the internet and other modes of modern technology have had a big impact on the city since he began, and the city has more recently evolved to include a credit card system in the municipal building to give another payment option for residents and bring it more into the 21st century.
During the past three decades, O’Brien said he is grateful to have worked for the city as he was given the opportunity to stay local to the place he was born in, contribute to the community, and raise his family.
“I can’t go anywhere in the Fulton community without someone knowing me or my family, which is cool. I wouldn’t want it any other way,” O’Brien said.
He said during the time he has worked for the city, his favorite part of the jobs he has been responsible for has been the people he worked with and the public he worked for. He expressed his gratitude to the city, residents, and employees for his career.
O’Brien is excited to enjoy his retirement and has plans to travel the country with his wife in a camper, noting that it is a high priority to see the national parks, visit his children and grandchildren in the Chicago area and northern California, spending time with his 96-year-old mother, gardening, and volunteering in the community.
“I’ve got plans. I’m not going to let any moss grow on me,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien’s last Common Council meeting was Tuesday, June 21, during which he received a standing ovation in thanks for his work throughout the past three decades.
“We appreciate Dan’s many years of service to the City of Fulton,” Mayor Deana Michaels told Oswego County Today. “An often thankless line of work, his hard-work and dedication have impacted many over the years. We wish him all the best in his retirement.”
Common Council President Audrey Avery said “Dan was an asset to our city in many capacities and he will be missed. I wish him the best in his retirement and his next endeavors.”
O’Brien has passed the torch to Jodi Corsoniti, whom he has worked with for several years.
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congratulations on your retirement. well deserved.