Dear Editor,

I read, with interest, Retha Hicks’ letter to the editor concerning the Winona Lake clerk-treasurer race.

She is someone who soundly lost her election for this office when the voters in Winona Lake decided they wanted a new direction, voted her out and got it.

It is interesting someone must think it is important to keep her up to speed as there was too much information in her letter for the average person on the street to know. So is it someone on the council, one of the department heads or someone in the office?

I am well aware of the differences between the two candidates running for the office of clerk-treasurer, first accepting they are both very nice women.

Heather James is a person who has never worked in a tax-supported public office, has zero years’ experience doing the complicated functions of the work done in the clerk-treasurer ‘s office and has served on the Winona Lake Town Council, but often missing meetings or attending on Zoom from home, and this is a part-time job. If Heather was clerk-treasurer, I can see the town of Winona Lake spending a lot of taxpayer dollars for training to get her up to speed to do the job. Some of the council members have suggested there is “someone” in the town who could do the job, but, in my mind, this makes me think of harking back to the dark days in the clerk-treasurer’s office of speaking through a frosted, sliding glass window in the wall, if you could even speak to anyone at all. Bad memories!

Laurie Renier, the current town of Winona Lake clerk-treasurer, took over under very difficult circumstances, after the death of the previous officeholder. She had no opportunity to consult with him or to prepare. It was hit the ground running and do the best you can!

I am sure she has made mistakes, but if we are honest with ourselves, when we have started a new job, particularly with no one to train us, we were not perfect. I only know one person who is perfect.

We already have someone who is in the clerk-treasurer position who has over one year of experience. She had done similar type of work for years in Kosciusko County government. We have also spent town money for additional training in the job.

Because of the changes, Laurie Renier, the current clerk-treasurer, has asked for a state audit of the accounts just to assure taxpayer monies have been spent where they should be. This is wise for every town to do every so often.

I am going to stay with who we currently have running our clerk-treasurer’s office now, enjoying the openness of the office to taxpayers’ needs. Thank you, Laurie Renier.

Sincerely,
Jerry Nelson