Newton’s new City Clerk, Drew Willison (photo: Julie M. Cohen)
Although Drew Willison took the helm as Newton’s new City Clerk at a critical time, just ahead of the November 4 election, he’s no stranger to shouldering important responsibilities.
Willison “was in the swirl of all of it,” the 60-year-old recalled, when he served as the 39th Sergeant at Arms for the U.S. Senate (and before that, the deputy). As deputy Sergeant at Arms, he sat on the inaugural platform for President Barack Obama.
Among other duties, the Sergeant at Arms “serves the Senate as its chief law enforcement and protocol officer and is the executive officer responsible for a host of support services in the Senate,” according to the U.S. Senate’s website.
“It was an amazing experience,” recalled Willison, an Ohio native. He also worked in nonprofit administration and public policy and has an impressive educational background.
Even before taking on his important D.C. roles, Willison said he had been interested in government work most of his life — although not the often-divisive politics that come along with those jobs. That is why he enjoyed working as Sergeant-at-Arms, a nonpartisan position that serves the institution of the Senate, much like a City Clerk serves a municipality.
Willison only applied for the Newton job after he and his wife, Kris Sarri, moved to Swampscott a few months ago from the D.C. area. Having never lived in Massachusetts before, the couple and their six rescue pets (three cats and three dogs) came north after Sarri was hired as the new Massachusetts state director for The Nature Conservancy.
Moving to a new place with no family connections can be daunting, but Willison said he and his wife are treating the change as an adventure.
“We’re having fun with it,” he said.
Keeping Newton running
As Willison began looking for work after the move, he spotted the opening in Newton.
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