Longest-serving City Secretary in Bryan’s history retiring

On Aug. 22, during her retirement reception, the Bryan City Council bestowed Mary Lynne Stratta with the honorary title of City Secretary Emeritus for her countless contributions across the municipal clerk profession and the City of Bryan.

With over 44 years of dedicated service in local government, including 34 years as Bryan’s City Secretary, Mrs. Stratta leaves behind a legacy of excellence and innovation that will be remembered for generations.

The City Secretary is an officer of the city, appointed by the City Council, and is a statutory position required by State law and the City Charter. In addition to the statutory duties of the position, Mrs. Stratta served as director of the City Secretary Department consisting of Vital Statistics, Records Management, Municipal Court Operations, City Marshals’ Office, Council Services, Communications and Marketing (until April 2024), and Neighborhood/Youth Services. She also served as the Chief Election Official, Legislative Director, and staff liaison for the Charter Review Advisory Committees for the City of Bryan, and Parliamentarian for the Bryan City Council.

Other roles and notable accomplishments:

• Certified: Texas Registered Municipal Clerk from Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program, and certified Municipal Clerk and Master Municipal Clerk from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks.
• Transition to Single Member District Elections (1993): Staff liaison to the citizen charter review advisory committee, overseeing the transition from at large elections.
• City Redistricting: Oversaw and implemented the City’s redistricting after each federal census.
• Voting System Modernization (2003): Transitioned from punch card to direct recording electronic voting system.
• Digital Records Management: Established a digital records management system, and produced a modern records management plan and a records disaster recovery plan, transforming the City’s approach to record-keeping while also saving the City a significant amount of money.
• Open Records Compliance: Processed thousands of open records requests, always meeting deadlines and state law requirements. Implemented software to streamline this process.
• Municipal Court Innovations: Led Bryan Municipal Court to be the first in Brazos County to conduct digital arraignments, enhancing safety and efficiency.
• Agenda Management Software: Implemented software that saved staff time and resources.
• Historic Preservation: Coordinated the City’s yearlong 125th and 150th birthday celebrations, showcasing Bryan’s history and diversity.
• Award-Winning Offices: Mrs. Stratta’s Vital Statistics Office has won the Texas Department of State Health Services Five Star Award for 23 consecutive years, her City Secretary’s Office has earned several records management and innovation awards, and Communications and Marketing has received a variety of state and national awards. She was named on the Municipal Clerk Honor Roll.
• Worldwide Leadership: Served as President (2009-2010) of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), following service as Vice President, President Elect and member of the Board of Directors, and was honored with the prestigious IIMC Quill Award in 2003; considered the highest award to be given to a municipal clerk. As President of IIMC, Mrs. Stratta represented Bryan in South Africa, England, the Netherlands, Scotland, Wales, Belgium and Canada, and signed affiliation agreements with five national organizations from other countries. She also served as President of the IIMC Education Foundation for several years.
• Statewide Recognition served as the 2005 President of the Texas Municipal Clerks Association (TMCA) and was named City Clerk of the Year for the State of Texas in 2002. She was also named City Clerk of the Year by her TMCA Chapter on four different occasions. In 2020, she was the recipient of TMCA’s first Distinguished Service Award, in recognition of a career-long commitment to TMCA and the city clerk profession. She was again presented with this award in 2023. She also served on the Texas Municipal League (TML) Board of Directors.
• Education and Mentorship: Serves as an instructor of educational sessions for IIMC, the National League of Cities, the Texas Municipal League, the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program, and various other state and national associations, cities and organizations. In 2009, Mrs. Stratta was named as an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Local Council Management, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, England. In the same year, she was inducted as a Fellow in the Athenian Leadership Society, an advanced leadership program of the IIMC, where she facilitates leadership dialogues at IIMC conferences and for several state associations as well as mentors other clerks wishing to become dialogue facilitators for IIMC.
• Helping Heroes Burn Foundation Co-Founder and Secretary: Following a tragic fire in February 2013, where two Bryan Fire Department Lieutenants were killed in the line of duty and two firefighters were seriously burned, Mrs. Stratta and five Bryan firefighters created and chartered the Helping Heroes Burn Foundation, an organization that exists to provide financial assistance to firefighters seriously burned in the line of duty, to families of firefighters killed in the line of duty, and to promote skin organ donor registration through partnership with existing donor organizations.

Mary Lynne Stratta will officially retire on Friday, Sept. 6. On the same day, Melissa Brunner, the current Deputy City Secretary, will be sworn in as the new Bryan City Secretary. Ms. Brunner has 25 years of experience in local government and has been a certified Texas Registered Municipal Clerk since 2003.

>> View photos.

Share This: