Meet Marjorie Barrows, Marine Corp. veteran, retired U.S. Postal Service officer and since 2022, Rochester’s town clerk.
It’s no wonder her career path and upbringing led her to her current job. She was born and raised in Missouri, the only girl among six brothers, most of whom have served in the military. “So there’s nothing I can’t back down from,” she said.
Barrows signed up to become a U.S. Marine at age 17, though she had to wait until she was 18 to be officially enlisted. She spent four years as a Marine at Parris Island and Camp Lejeune, married and settled in Rochester in 1980.
After leaving military service, she joined the U.S. Post Office in July of 1982, working mainly in Rochester but also spending time in the post offices in Marion, Mattapoisett and Cuttyhunk before retiring in 2016.
The last 20 of these 34 years, she said, were spent as third in the chain of command in Post Office management and even, for a brief time, Special Interim Postmaster General.
Shortly after retiring from the Post Office, Barrows went to work for Great Hill Dairy in Mattapoisett as a food preparer, then seven years in the same job for Ocean State Job Lot. But the kind of work she did as a Marine and for the U.S. Post Office drew her back when in 2023, she saw that no one was running for Rochester Town Clerk in the Annual Town Election upon the announcement that Town Clerk Paul Dawson would retire effective in the spring.
At the time, people around town only knew her as Margie, she said. She asked a friend to put a “Vote for Marjorie Barrows” sign on her lawn, and the friend said, “Sure. But who is Marjorie Barrows?”
To become better known, Barrows wrote a letter describing herself and her background that she handed out around the neighborhoods. And she wore a “U.S. Post Office” T-shirt when she stood with her campaign signs on Election Day. The strategy worked, and she is glad it did.
Barrows said she wanted to apply for the job because “I didn’t think it was a good idea to leave it as a position that the selectmen would have to appoint someone to,” she said. “So I ran. And now I love it.”
What does she love about her new job she’s held since May? “It’s nothing I can’t do. The work is the same idea as running a post office. You’re taking care of important papers. You keep birth, marriage and death certificates, post meetings and correspondence responsibly.”
She added, “I get huge support from fellow town clerks as a member of the Massachusetts Town Clerks Association. I am not alone in this support group. I attended their conference in September, and 21 of them were new town clerks like me.”
The job hasn’t yielded any surprises, Barrows said. “You’ve got to know what you’re doing,” she said. “You learn, don’t be afraid to ask questions and admit what you don’t know. I’ve learned to find out answers on my own. But I can always call the former town clerk.”
Barrows emphasized that Dawson has been extra helpful from her first day on the job and is always available to answer her questions.
Barrows said she’s now starting the annual Town Election paperwork, and she is not daunted by the challenge. “Everything’s got to be done right. And I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a lot of work, but there’s nothing I’m not willing to learn.”
She said she always utilizes a lesson she learned as a Marine. When a superior officer asks a question, the proper response when you don’t know the immediate answer is “‘I don’t know, sir. But I will find out.’ And then you learn the answer, and that’s another thing you’ve learned. I always find a way to solve a problem, answer the question.”
Barrows also serves on the Rochester Council on Aging Board of Directors. Her husband is Board of Health member Dale Barrows.
And how did he react to her running for town clerk? “He said ‘Go for it.’ And I did.”
By Michael J. DeCicco