Westport has a new assistant town clerk, while the search for a full time temporary replacement for outgoing clerk Bernadette Oliver continues.

The select board voted unanimously at its last meeting to appoint Kristin Swinson as assistant clerk. A Westport resident, she worked for a housing authority in Maine before moving to Westport, and for the past several years has worked at a local winery. She was scheduled to start Tuesday, Jan. 3.

Oliver announced her intention to resign last month, initially saying that her last day would be in early January. But since then, she has agreed to stay on through the end of January, a move town administrator James Hartnett said would be a "huge" help to the personnel-strapped office. During her last weeks on the job, she will work with Stinson and others to get them up to speed on her role, and how to do the job.

Meanwhile, town officials are still looking for a temporary replacement to serve in Oliver's role from February through the April election. As of the select board's last meeting, Hartnett said the town has not not received any letters of interest for those hoping to serve in the temporary assignment. Unlike other positions in town, the clerk is chosen by voters at the annual election, this year scheduled for Tuesday, April 11.