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Wiscasset Assessors’ Agent Sue Varney will retire Dec. 19. (Charlotte Boynton photo) |
By Charlotte Boynton
Wiscasset Town Manager Marian Anderson announced the retirement of Sue Varney, the town assessors’ agent since Jan. 28, 2002 and a town employee for nearly 37 years, Nov. 10. Her last day at the town office will be Dec. 19.
In her retirement letter, Varney said, “It is with mixed emotion and excitement for my future endeavors that I submit my retirement letter from employment with the town of Wiscasset. Being employed by the town of Wiscasset for nearly 37 years has been a big part of my life, my family’s life, but it is time for me to spend more time with my family, travel more, and start new adventures.”
During an interview Monday, Nov. 10, Varney said the town office has been part of her life since she was still in high school. She graduated from Wiscasset High School in 1972. Before graduation she worked in the town office after school from 2:30 to 4 p.m. and during summer vacation.
Among other jobs, she was secretary to the selectmen. “At that time, the selectmen were the assessors,” Varney said.
Varney said there have been many changes since those early years. “We didn’t have computers,” she said. The work was much more cumbersome.
She remembers putting the same piece of paper in a wide typewriter three times for tax information. The first step was to type in the landowner’s name, address, and boundaries. As the second step, the selectmen would provide the assessed value of the property to be typed on the tax information sheet, and the third step would be to determine the tax amount of each property.
Varney became an employee of the town March 20, 1978. She said she has done just about everything at the town office. “I did dispatching at the Wiscasset Police Department, but I have never been a police officer. That’s because they wouldn’t want to give me a gun,” she said with a chuckle.
Varney said the town employees have been her family over the years. They have all gone through life changes together, she said. A life-changing event for Varney was the loss of her husband, Ross Varney, three years ago at the age of 62.
“I am close to that age, I want to retire while I still have my health and can enjoy doing things with my family and friends,” Varney said. She and Ross were together for 26 years before he died.
Varney said she has some great memories of fun times with the town office crew. She recalled a town float that was in the Fourth of July parade in 1981. The float name was Women Doing Men’s Work. It was an all-female float.
Participants on the float were Diane Hathorne, Jane Smith, Betty Johnson, Blanche Barnes, Alexis Caldwell, the 2-year-old daughter of Varney, Janelle Skillin, and Varney.
“We worked so hard on that float,” Varney said. She remembers then-First Selectman Larry Gordon telling her he “would like to get as much work out of you in the office as you have put into the float.”
For the next few weeks, Varney said she will work to make her retirement as easy as possible for the assessing office and those doing her work.
“The decision to retire was a very difficult decision, but once I made it I felt so at ease,” she said.
In an email the town manager wrote announcing Varney’s retirement, she said, “After 37 years of valuable service and dedication to the citizens of the town of Wiscasset, it is with both joy and sadness I announce the retirement of Sue Varney effective Dec. 19, 2014. Sue has been a valuable asset and friend to all of us and will be greatly missed.”
“Under Sue’s leadership for the last 37 years, the town has transitioned through many changes. Her contribution and rich experience made it possible to transition smoothly between leadership changes on the select board and in the manager’s office.
“Her innovative ways and ‘can-do’ enthusiasm always kept us a step ahead. Sue Varney has done a great job establishing positive working relationships with administrators, all employees, and local communities.
“Her leadership, loyalty to the town of Wiscasset, and tireless energy will be missed. We thank Sue for 37 years of outstanding service to the town of Wiscasset and wish her well as she prepares for retirement.”
