Growing up, Lori Elmore had a front-row seat to public service.
As a young girl, Lori remembers sitting in Greenfield’s city council chambers while her mother – longtime Greenfield Clerk-Treasurer Patricia Elmore – participated in council meetings.
Though her mother spent 21 years as Greenfield’s clerk-treasurer and four years as the city’s mayor, Lori Elmore didn’t feel like following in her mother’s footsteps at first. Lori respected her mother’s commitment but didn’t see that path for herself.
“Growing up my mom’s role probably gave me the exact opposite attitude,” Elmore said. “Because I saw how much time and effort and commitment and dedication that she gave … You give up a lot, you sacrifice a lot and your family is normally on the receiving end of the sacrifice.”
As an adult, Elmore lived in London for a number of years, but returned to the U.S. in 2009 to take care of her mother and sister. That family service would soon turn into public service.
Though her journey back to Greenfield was circuitous, Elmore did eventually take up her mother’s mantle. Lori started working in the clerk’s office and was elected Greenfield’s clerk in 2016. Now she’s creating her own legacy as she begins her term as president of the Indiana League of Municipal League of Clerk-Treasurers, or ILMCT.
Greenfield Clerk-Treasurer Lori Elmore
“When I got her and saw there was a need, the clerk-treasurer’s office had a lot of special memories for me,” Elmore said.
What did pique her interest was the variety the clerk’s office offers. Handling everything from trash service permits to payroll was appealing enough that Elmore agreed to run for clerk-treasurer just a few months after officially taking a job in the office.
But Elmore’s mother – who passed away in 2023 — wasn’t her only role model in local government. A big part of her taking on the clerk-treasurer role was the faith and mentorship given to her by another longtime Greenfield clerk-treasurer: Larry Breese.
“He’s such a special person to me,” Elmore said. “The fact he worked for my mom and embraced me and saw something in me that made me think I could do this job.”
Between Patricia Elmore, Breese and now Lori Elmore, Greenfield has had just three clerk-treasurers over the last 56 years.
“I think that’s a testament to the fact no one wants our job,” Lori Elmore joked.
Breese was on hand in Michigan City to introduce and endorse Elmore as the new president of ILMCT. The organization has a tradition of new presidents being introduced by a past president.
Now leading the group she’s been around since childhood, Elmore is excited to settle into her term. At the front of her mind is finding more effective ways to communicate with clerk-treasurers from around the state.
“My goal is to look at the unification and sharing of knowledge that we, as a collective body, have. And trying to reach out to communities that have a one-person office and say, ‘Hey you are not alone. There are people out here who can help you,’” Elmore said.
In order to foster unification and communication within the organization, Elmore is starting a monthly publication called the District Director’s Digest to share information about deadlines, resources, and events.
“I want people to absorb the information and friendships that the league has to offer,” Elmore said.
In the summer of 2027, the ILMCT’s annual conference will come to Indianapolis for the first time in recent memory. The reason for the change is the same reason Elmore came back to Greenfield from London – family.
Elmore said her sister has a health condition that makes it difficult for her to take overnight trips. But having the conference close to Greenfield in Indianapolis will allow Elmore’s family a chance to visit.
Elmore said the ILMCT executive committee accommodating her family was “a gracious gift” and is excited about what’s in store in the state capital.
“We’re super excited. The opportunity of what we can do downtown is endless.”