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Public
servant
extraordinaire
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
POMFRET --- She touched so many lives in Pomfret and beyond.
From marriage licenses to being a "bug in the ear" of town leaders, retiring Town Clerk Nora Johnson was an extraordinary public servant, say friends and co-workers.
Feted at a surprise retirement party at Tyrone Farms last week, Johnson, in true Nora form, hugged her way through a hall packed with friends, colleagues, townspeople.
Occasionally misty eyed, Johnson said she would miss most the people in town and in Town Hall. Staci Hattin, assistant town clerk, said Johnson always said there was "never a day I don't want to come into work." Cheryl Grist is town clerk.
Johnson started as the assistant town clerk to Esther Covell in 1969, back when the "town clerk's office" was the town clerk's home. She was named town clerk in 1977, spanning an era from kitchen tables to computers.
"It's like a family. We help each other," she said, "and we all help the town." Johnson said she was "flabbergasted" at the number of folks who turned out to wish her well. She received a public service award from the Secretary of the State, an award from the National Guard in appreciation of her support of the troops and a citation for her long service from Governor M. Jodi Rell.
She promises to drop by for coffee and to "keep them out of mischief."
First Selectman Jim Rivers said he recalls when he started in Pomfret government, "when I was wet behind the ears," Nora was "constantly in my ear" to preserve land in Pomfret. Ahead of her time, Rivers said Nora was a "real driver" to get the town to safeguard its open space. She got us to "kick it (preservation) up," he said.
"And she was right."
"She puts the town and the townspeople before herself," Rivers said.
Rivers said Johnson leaves two legacies. One is land preservation and the other is the "culture" of the Pomfret Town Hall. Other town halls might tell you 'Sorry, it's two minutes of 5, we're closing,' but Nora would say 'I'd be happy to help you. Would you like a cup of coffee?'." And do you get hugs in any other town hall? Nope! Everyone who works in Town Hall follows her example of "public service" and she leaves that legacy.
"Her best legacy is that she trained all of us to help," he added.