Appointed city clerk seeks to hold onto position

After more than a decade of working in the Huntington Beach city clerk’s office, Robin Estanislau is running for the first time to be the elected city clerk.

Estanislau has been working in various city jobs for nearly 18 years, including 11 years as the assistant city clerk.

When former City Clerk Joan Flynn retired in June, Estanislau was appointed the position by the City Council after being recommended by Flynn. In order to retain the position, Estanislau has to be elected in November.

Former construction worker Kevin Donovan is running against her.

Estanislau, who has lived in Huntington Beach for 14 years, referred to herself in a recent interview as the “qualified candidate” due to her experience with the job.

“The assistant is the clerk if the clerk isn’t present,” said Estanislau, 56, who also previously worked for the city of Arcadia before coming to Huntington Beach. “That right there says if you are acting as someone while they’re gone, that person has to have confidence in you to feel good about leaving the office in your hands.”

The main responsibilities of the city clerk are attending council meetings, preparing meeting agendas and minutes, keeping legislative records, contracts and official bonds, serving as custodian of the city seal, overseeing elections, managing records and certifying records.

Estanislau, who has a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Ashford University, said these duties are not something that can be easily learned.

“There are certain things that are very specialized in government,” she said. “You really put yourself in a high level of responsibility. It’s not something you can take lightly. You have to know the code and the law because if you’re representing a city — and this is not a small one — you have to know your stuff.”

Above anything else, Estanislau said, the city clerk “is somebody the people have to trust.”

“When in doubt, where do they go? If they don’t know something, who do they ask? They call the city clerk,” she said. “I think my experience, knowledge and education speak for themselves.”

Since being appointed to the position, Estanislau said not much has changed other than a new office and being more out in the community.

She said now that the council candidates are finalized, it’s time for her to form her own campaign, though she doesn’t plan on making any committees for it.

Instead, she wants to get to know the community and attend events.

“I’ve been here 18 years and a lot of people don’t know me,” Estanislau said. “But I also have clerk duties first.”

Flynn, who served as the city clerk for 12 years, said Estanislau is right for the job.

“Robin is passionate about her calling to the city clerk profession,” Flynn said in an email. “She is highly experienced — and with current budgetary and staffing restraints, there is no opportunity for on-the-job training for the next city clerk. And besides that, she is an all-around good person: ethical, moral, kind, outgoing, generous, enthusiastic and happy.”

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Twitter: @BrittanyWoolsey