Arundel Town Clerk Rachel Bull was hired in October. Tammy Wells photo

ARUNDEL – When Maine native Rachel Bull and her husband Shawn moved to the area from their Connecticut earlier this year, they thought about work options.

Both had worked in municipal government for years – she in tax and assessing offices, he in public works.

At the same time, the town of Arundel was looking for a new town clerk after Emily Nedeau left for a new position in another field after six years in the position.

Rachel Bull applied. She was one of 62 people to do so, said Town Manager Keith Trefethen. She was appointed to the position and confirmed by the select board in early October.

What was it about Bull that stood out?

“Her demeanor when interviewed and the past experience she had in municipal government,” said Trefethen.

As town clerk, Bull, 53, will manage the office that also includes tax collector Diana Boucher and deputy town clerk and deputy tax collector Sherry Chenard.

The responsibilities of the town clerk are many – elections and voter registrations, excise taxes, vehicle registrations, vital statistics, hunting fishing, and dog licenses, and more.

The couple moved to Maine in July and moved into their new home in North Waterboro in October.

Bull, who was born in Maine, was an infant when her family made the move to Connecticut, and her husband’s family is from Maine. They spent a lot of time here in the summers, and after a series of challenges over the last several years, decided to make a move.

She had experienced a cancer diagnosis and treatment a few years ago. Her husband was in a bad accident at work a year later, she said, and his mother and both her parents had recently passed away.

“We said, ‘We need a change,’ and headed for Maine,” she said.

They weren’t sure they would work again in municipal government, but they both are. Shawn is employed with the public works department in Waterboro.

The couple has two daughters in their 20s, one in Maine the other in Massachusetts.

Bull began her new job earlier this fall and soon faced a municipal election, but there was help from existing employees and from former longtime town clerk, Simone Boissonneault.

“She is a wealth of information,” said Bull, who said Boissonneault continues to provide assistance.

Bull is intrigued by the challenges of her new job. Even though she worked 14 years in municipal government, there are differences between procedures in Connecticut and Maine.

She decided in early adulthood that trying new things can be good.

At 19, Bull, who had taken dance classes since she was 3 years old, said she auditioned to be a showgirl with Ringling Bros. Circus and worked for the company for two years, touring in Japan and throughout the United States.

“It was great,” she said. “I met so many people.”

As she learns the nuances of her job, she said she is looking forward to meeting Arundel residents, too.

“For me, working in a town hall is a bit of comfort level,” she said. “The challenge here is taking on a new job, and I am up for the challenge.”