Nancy Reed To Retire As Manchester Clerk-Treasurer
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jen [email protected]
Now she is hanging up the many hats she wears as the town's clerk-treasurer.
"It's time," Nancy said, adding that she is not sad to be leaving the post she has held through six town councils, three town managers, four parks and recreation directors and several town marshals.
But the funny thing, Nancy says, is that she had no intention of becoming a town clerk. She came into the position only after her mother, Bette Reed, fell ill at a council meeting in 1977. Bette, who served as clerk-treasurer for 16 years, had to stay in the hospital for an extended amount of time. The town council members asked Nancy to fill in for Bette, and Nancy was named deputy clerk-treasurer.
"I was working at United Tech at the time," Nancy said. "But the council asked me to keep her (Bette's) work going. So I did both jobs for a while."
Bette, who had three years left in her term as clerk-treasurer, was unable to return to work and Nancy eventually took on the job of clerk-treasurer full time and finished her mother's term.
Nancy won her first official term as clerk-treasurer in the next election and has served the town of North Manchester ever since.
"I come from a political family," Nancy said. "My grandmother ran the license bureau for 20 or 30 years and was active in the Republican Party. She attended two presidential inaugurations.
"Little did I know I would be in politics, too. I can honestly say that when I was in high school and college I never thought about it. My mom's sickness brought me here."
Looking back, Nancy said all the jobs leading up to the clerk-treasurer position seemed to be preparing her for it.
"I worked in an engineering department, a personnel department, an attorney's office, and an insurance office," Nancy said. "This job involves all of that. It was like all those other jobs were preparing me for this."
Although she is proud of many things she has done in her years as clerk-treasurer, Nancy says there are two accomplishments she is most proud of: helping create the certified municipal clerk training program in Indiana and being a co-chair of the 1986 sesquicentennial celebration in North Manchester.
After attending classes in Ohio to become a certified municipal clerk, Nancy said she saw a need for a similar program in Indiana.
"After completing the classes, I came back here and decided we need this," Nancy said. After much hard work, Nancy helped create the municipal clerk school in Indiana that has certified hundreds of clerks around the state.
As for the sesquicentennial celebration, Nancy helped plan four festivals in one hectic year.
"It was wonderful," she said with a big smile.
Through the years, Nancy also has seen many changes in her office - from technology to building renovations.
"When I first started in as deputy (clerk-treasurer), everything was hand-posted. There were no computers," Reed remembers. "Since that time we have had three different software systems. The first one was an IBM system with a huge computer. Eventually we went to towers and a PC, and the next system really didn't work. We worked with it a couple of years but then switched to our present system."
Along with computer changes, Reed also experienced changes in the building that houses her office. In 2000, the building was remodeled, and Reed's office went from having four entrance doors to having just two, a change Reed said helped her concentration level immensely.
The remodel also added much more counter, desk and filing space in the office, making it much easier to keep records organized and the office much tidier.
Now that she has decided to retire, Nancy will have a lot more time on her hands.
"I have no specific plans," Nancy said. "I plan to take each day as it comes and do whatever I feel like. I would like to travel, and take some courses in crafts. Do things I've never had time to do. I'd like to do more walking, visit family - I have a brother in Minnesota who built a new house 10 or 12 years ago that I've never seen. I plan to send more birthday and Christmas cards. I want to do a lot more cooking and planning of my meals."
When Nancy officially leaves her position Feb. 28, she will leave behind a legacy of community service in an elected office, but don't think she plans to give up on serving the community.
She plans to volunteer with the American In Bloom program, Town Life Center, literacy programs and tree programs in town.
Before the February meeting of the North Manchester Town Council, Nancy asked council president Don Rinearson not to make a big deal that it was her last official meeting, and at her request, there was no party or fanfare.
"Fond farewells are difficult, so I'll keep it short," said Rinearson, thanking Reed for her 27 years of service to the town.
"(In her time here) we have accomplished a lot, a lot of great things. A lot of great things would never have come to fruition if Nancy had not stepped up and gone above and beyond her duties as clerk-treasurer. We will be eternally grateful."
"I cry at these things," Nancy said at the meeting. "Thank you all. ... It's been my privilege to serve. ... I have a lot of good, wonderful memories."
Then she added with a laugh, "I'm so happy not to have to do minutes anymore!"
Although she requested that nothing be done for her farewell at the meeting, council member Stan Escott said she wasn't going to get her way and he presented her with a plaque from the town council.
The black lacquer plaque with gold lettering and a drawing of North Manchester's covered bridge reads, "To Nancy Reed for 27 years of dedicated service as clerk-treasurer for the Town of North Manchester, Indiana, 1980-2007, with the grateful appreciation of the City of North Manchester. Presented Feb. 7, 2007, by the Town Council of North Manchester."
Nancy's term does not officially end until Dec. 31, so a replacement must be appointed by a caucus. Carrie Mugford will likely earn the post, and Nancy has already offered to help as needed during the transition.[[In-content Ad]]
Now she is hanging up the many hats she wears as the town's clerk-treasurer.
"It's time," Nancy said, adding that she is not sad to be leaving the post she has held through six town councils, three town managers, four parks and recreation directors and several town marshals.
But the funny thing, Nancy says, is that she had no intention of becoming a town clerk. She came into the position only after her mother, Bette Reed, fell ill at a council meeting in 1977. Bette, who served as clerk-treasurer for 16 years, had to stay in the hospital for an extended amount of time. The town council members asked Nancy to fill in for Bette, and Nancy was named deputy clerk-treasurer.
"I was working at United Tech at the time," Nancy said. "But the council asked me to keep her (Bette's) work going. So I did both jobs for a while."
Bette, who had three years left in her term as clerk-treasurer, was unable to return to work and Nancy eventually took on the job of clerk-treasurer full time and finished her mother's term.
Nancy won her first official term as clerk-treasurer in the next election and has served the town of North Manchester ever since.
"I come from a political family," Nancy said. "My grandmother ran the license bureau for 20 or 30 years and was active in the Republican Party. She attended two presidential inaugurations.
"Little did I know I would be in politics, too. I can honestly say that when I was in high school and college I never thought about it. My mom's sickness brought me here."
Looking back, Nancy said all the jobs leading up to the clerk-treasurer position seemed to be preparing her for it.
"I worked in an engineering department, a personnel department, an attorney's office, and an insurance office," Nancy said. "This job involves all of that. It was like all those other jobs were preparing me for this."
Although she is proud of many things she has done in her years as clerk-treasurer, Nancy says there are two accomplishments she is most proud of: helping create the certified municipal clerk training program in Indiana and being a co-chair of the 1986 sesquicentennial celebration in North Manchester.
After attending classes in Ohio to become a certified municipal clerk, Nancy said she saw a need for a similar program in Indiana.
"After completing the classes, I came back here and decided we need this," Nancy said. After much hard work, Nancy helped create the municipal clerk school in Indiana that has certified hundreds of clerks around the state.
As for the sesquicentennial celebration, Nancy helped plan four festivals in one hectic year.
"It was wonderful," she said with a big smile.
Through the years, Nancy also has seen many changes in her office - from technology to building renovations.
"When I first started in as deputy (clerk-treasurer), everything was hand-posted. There were no computers," Reed remembers. "Since that time we have had three different software systems. The first one was an IBM system with a huge computer. Eventually we went to towers and a PC, and the next system really didn't work. We worked with it a couple of years but then switched to our present system."
Along with computer changes, Reed also experienced changes in the building that houses her office. In 2000, the building was remodeled, and Reed's office went from having four entrance doors to having just two, a change Reed said helped her concentration level immensely.
The remodel also added much more counter, desk and filing space in the office, making it much easier to keep records organized and the office much tidier.
Now that she has decided to retire, Nancy will have a lot more time on her hands.
"I have no specific plans," Nancy said. "I plan to take each day as it comes and do whatever I feel like. I would like to travel, and take some courses in crafts. Do things I've never had time to do. I'd like to do more walking, visit family - I have a brother in Minnesota who built a new house 10 or 12 years ago that I've never seen. I plan to send more birthday and Christmas cards. I want to do a lot more cooking and planning of my meals."
When Nancy officially leaves her position Feb. 28, she will leave behind a legacy of community service in an elected office, but don't think she plans to give up on serving the community.
She plans to volunteer with the American In Bloom program, Town Life Center, literacy programs and tree programs in town.
Before the February meeting of the North Manchester Town Council, Nancy asked council president Don Rinearson not to make a big deal that it was her last official meeting, and at her request, there was no party or fanfare.
"Fond farewells are difficult, so I'll keep it short," said Rinearson, thanking Reed for her 27 years of service to the town.
"(In her time here) we have accomplished a lot, a lot of great things. A lot of great things would never have come to fruition if Nancy had not stepped up and gone above and beyond her duties as clerk-treasurer. We will be eternally grateful."
"I cry at these things," Nancy said at the meeting. "Thank you all. ... It's been my privilege to serve. ... I have a lot of good, wonderful memories."
Then she added with a laugh, "I'm so happy not to have to do minutes anymore!"
Although she requested that nothing be done for her farewell at the meeting, council member Stan Escott said she wasn't going to get her way and he presented her with a plaque from the town council.
The black lacquer plaque with gold lettering and a drawing of North Manchester's covered bridge reads, "To Nancy Reed for 27 years of dedicated service as clerk-treasurer for the Town of North Manchester, Indiana, 1980-2007, with the grateful appreciation of the City of North Manchester. Presented Feb. 7, 2007, by the Town Council of North Manchester."
Nancy's term does not officially end until Dec. 31, so a replacement must be appointed by a caucus. Carrie Mugford will likely earn the post, and Nancy has already offered to help as needed during the transition.[[In-content Ad]]
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