Clark named official Bloomington controller

Stepping in as the new controller of Bloomington, Susan Clark is excited to take the reigns as part of Mayor Mark Kruzan's staff. \nAppointed Aug. 27, Clark might at first seem green to the job of handling the finances for Bloomington. \nShe is anything but. \nClark has served as the interim controller of Bloomington since January. Her transition from interim to official controller of Bloomington allows Clark to serve at the pleasure of the mayor during his term.\nClark first came to Bloomington in 1974 as a freshman at IU. Upon graduating in 1978 with a bachelor of science degree in biology, she could not pry herself away from the city she called home during her college years.\n"Bloomington is a great place to work and live, and I just did not want to leave," Clark said. \nPrior to working for the city, Clark was an accounting manager for Star Travel Services in Bloomington. \nNow, in simple terms, Clark is the chief financial officer of the city of Bloomington.\n"I oversee everything from the city's annual budget to administrative duties, such as dealing with the city's payroll, to submitting documents to the mayor himself," Clark said. \nJeff McMillian, the city's accounting and procurement manager in the office of the controller, works with Clark. "The office of the controller sets and oversees the city's $50 million annual budget," he said.\n"In a nutshell, the money comes in and we delegate it right back out for departments of the city to use," \nThe job demands a lot, and Clark is more than qualified to hold the position, Kruzan said in a press release. Her presence in Bloomington is nothing new, but the amount of responsibility she will be taking on as the city's new controller is. Prior to her appointment, Clark worked for the city as a budget and research manager. She earned that position after serving the city since 1998, when she started as a financial analyst. \nWhile serving the city, her work caught the attention of Kruzan, who had nothing but praise for the new controller.\n"She has the knowledge, skills and abilities required to assume this very important role for the city and the community," Kruzan said.\nClark said she is honored by the appointment.\n"It is a big responsibility, and I take it very seriously," she said. "I hope to serve the city of Bloomington as a good steward to the taxpayers and Mayor Kruzan."\n-- Contact staff writer Nathan Rothman at narothma@indiana.edu.