Story posted Thursday, November 12, 2009
Walsh Retirement Means Changes In Clerk's Office
By TOM ROBB Journal & Topics Reporter
Ann Walsh gavels out her final meeting on Nov. 10 after recording 196 village board meetings over 10 years as clerk.
Elk Grove Village Clerk Ann Walsh, known to friends as "Renie," will work her last day tomorrow (Friday) before retiring after 32 years with the village, the last 10 as clerk.
Mayor Craig Johnson appointed Walsh clerk in 1999. She was hired June 11, 1979 as an accounting clerk and receptionist for the finance department.
Along the way, from starting as a cashier receptionist, Walsh served as secretary to the health and personnel offices, police and fire commission and to Mayor Charles Zettek before becoming deputy village clerk in 1991 and village clerk July 1, 1999.
Walsh took minutes during 196 village board meetings, digitized 11,356 village records to make available online, coordinated 15 elections and oversaw tens or thousands of village records dating back to 1956.
She will leave her mark on the new village hall as she designed the new clerk's area and storage vault.
Johnson said Cook County officials were very impressed with the smooth operations of recent early voting at village hall in the last election, overseen by Walsh.
At last Tuesday's village board meeting, Johnson read a proclamation thanking Walsh for her years of service.
As one of her last official acts, Walsh swore-in her replacement, former Deputy Clerk Judy Keegan after being appointed by Johnson and approved by the board.
Walsh's retirement also means a new structure for the clerk's office.
Before Walsh retired the clerk's office was staffed by a clerk, deputy clerk and a senior staffer assigned to the clerk's office. Under a new ordinance passed last Tuesday, the position of deputy clerk was eliminated leaving the clerk and one full time staffer and one staffer shared between the clerk's and manager's office.
Johnson said the village will save about $40,000 between Walsh's retirement and higher pay rate, the change of one position from a higher paying deputy clerk to a staffer and by reducing the size of the clerk's department from three employees to two and a half.
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