By Andrew Hackmack
After raising her children for 15 years, she decided to go back to work. Persan took a job in the village's justice court until she figured out what she wanted to do. A mere 22 years later and she is still there.
"Court work is really interesting," she said. "I enjoy my job and I have a great staff."
Persan has been the court clerk supervisor for the past decade, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the village's justice system. Recently, she was recognized with a statewide award for her work by the New York Magistrate Court Clerks Association.
As court clerk of the year for 2008, Persan became the 19th person to receive this annual award. It is also the second statewide honor for the village's court in the past few years, as Judge Bob Bogle received the 2006 Magistrate of the Year award from the New York State Magistrates Association.
Persan said that in her job, she serves as a liaison between the judge and village officials, communicates with other state agencies and writes grants. The first grant she wrote, about eight years ago, was in conjunction with two other villages and sought funds to archive and dispose of old paperwork. Valley Stream was awarded $20,000. "At that point," she said, "we had 20 years of court records in boxes in the basement."
She said she frequently seeks out grants for equipment and technology that would make the court run more efficiently.
All court business in the village is conducted electronically, Persan said. If a person wishes to file a disposition, that process takes 24 hours where in the past it could take anywhere from two to six weeks. The court can also immediately notify the Department of Motor Vehicles of any convictions that could affect a person's license such a suspension. "The good news is that it's off that much quicker as well," she said.
In her job, Persan said she sometimes has to deal with people who are angry. In a court that deals largely with traffic violations, Persan said that a person's anger is often based on fear about what could happen to their driving record. She said her goal is to explain to everyone what their options are.
"Most people are angry because they don't understand," Persan said. "Once you help them understand, then they're not angry any longer. If you give them clear and concise information in a calm manner, then you're being beneficial."
On court nights, Persan sits right near Bogle and quietly runs the operations of the court clerk staff. "The purpose is people are supposed to be looking at the judge," she said, "and not noticing what the rest of us are doing."
Bogle described Person as the "air traffic controller" of a court session. The Valley Stream village court brings in $1.7 million in revenue annually, making it the third highest grossing village court in the state.
Persan is also very active the state Magistrate Court Clerks Association. She has been a board member for eight years and is the organization's treasurer. She helps to train other court clerks at the group's annual conventions. Her expertise is in financial reporting and recording.
The Magistrate Court Clerks Association holds a February training session in New York City and a summer session in Potsdam. There is also an annual fall conference, held at a different a location in the state each year. Persan said at a three-day conference, she would typically teach two courses. "And all the rest of the time I'm in class myself," she said. "It's really the only way you keep up with things because the laws are changing so rapidly."
Persan said when she comes back from a conference, she brings back a wealth of knowledge for the rest of her staff.
Raised in South Dakota, Persan moved to Valley Stream 40 years ago when she married her husband, Fred. Together, they raised two children in the village, Heather and Jason, who both graduated from Central High School. In her spare time, she likes to boat, fish, clam, sail, go kayaking and enjoy time at her summer home on the North Fork. "We're just a family that loves Long Island," she said.
Bogle praised Persan's people skills and overall effectiveness as Valley Stream's court administrator. "Ramona has an ability to make the difficult look simple," he said.
For Persan, her motivation to work hard is simple -- she loves her job. And that's what kept her there for 22 years and counting. "If you know what it is you love to do and you enjoy going to work," she said, "what would you go anywhere else?"
