LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Moraga's new Town Clerk is Walnut Creek's loss


Town Clerk Amy Heavener Photo Vera Kochan

After over eight years as a deputy clerk with the city of Walnut Creek, Moraga's new town clerk, Amy Heavener, decided it was time for a positional change. "The city clerk that I worked for was younger than me, and I realized there was nowhere to go, so I came to Moraga," she explained.

Prior to working in the public sector, Heavener has held positions in companies such as Genentech in South San Francisco and Gilead Pharmaceutical in Foster City. She got her first glimpse of what working for the public would be like by attending Parks and Recreation Committee meetings on her own time and discovered that she enjoyed the process. "Walnut Creek was an excellent place for me to understand city government."

Heavener joined Moraga this past November and is busy fulfilling her many duties for the town, which include certifying and distributing ordinances and resolutions, coordinating the Town Records Management Program, maintaining the Office of Record, preparing and posting of agendas, managing Council packet production and distribution, processing required legal notices, responding to Public Records Act requests, co-publishing the About Town Newsletter with the Parks and Recreation Department, and working with the county during this election year to ensure candidate compliance. "The clerk profession is all about processing the rules," she stated. "We operate through the legal guidelines."

When asked what she finds different about working for a town rather than a city, Heavener replied, "Walnut Creek was bigger and busier. Very production oriented rather than relationship oriented. There's more opportunity here to do a variety of things. I get to expand my duties. It hasn't been boring, and I'm learning about what exists while adding more to the department -- what level to take it." She already has plans to roll out a new type of agenda packet.

"Everybody has been so helpful and welcoming," Heavener said when referring to the town staff. "I was amazed to see how many people pitch in to help and get things done. I'm really excited to be here and become a town clerk."

Heavener is equally impressed with the locals. "The residents are super nice. I like the community of Moraga, because they are interested in their town. To me there's this small-town feel, because the people care about their community. I was surprised at all of the people that showed up for the State of the Town event."

Heavener's commute will take her from Martinez, where she lives with her new fiancee, Danielle (they became engaged during an August 2023, Taylor Swift concert in Los Angeles) and their two dogs Gladys and Chili.