Prince Edward County clerk ending long career with the municipality

After 30 years with the Municipality of Prince Edward, Kim White is calling it a career.

The current clerk of Prince Edward County presided over her final council meeting on Tuesday night, as she is three days away from retirement.

Clerk Kim White took a seat next to Mayor Steve Ferguson as many former councillors wished her well in her retirement. (Photo: Amanda Smith/Quinte News)

It was a momentous but bittersweet occasion as Mayor Steve Ferguson noted that loyalty, commitment and honesty are hard to come by and those qualities from an employee to an employer are almost an oxymoron.

He said there must be something in the food or water in Prince Edward County, as just last week they celebrated an employee with the Roads Department hitting the 50-year mark with the municipality.

Many former councillors were in attendance to mark the occasion including the first CAO of the amalgamated Prince Edward County Dick Shannon, former councillors Bev Campbell, Barry Turpin, Jim Dunlop, Gord Fox, Steve Graham, Kevin Gale and former mayor Robert Quaiff.

The ‘council cast-offs’ were in attendance for Clerk Kim White’s final council meeting in Prince Edward County. (Photo: Amanda Smith/Quinte News)

Gale told White, who was seated left of Mayor Ferguson in the horseshoe for the announcement, he likes to think the group contributed to some of those grey hairs “because I think back when you started in ’98 it was brown”. To which White confirmed it was in fact brown.

White was described as passionate, someone with enthusiasm for the job and who offered guidance along the way.

Quaiff even pointed out the tiny but loud footsteps down the hallway always preceded her appearance in his office.

Some of the previous council members made sure they were in attendance for Clerk Kim White’s final council meeting at Shire Hall. (Photo: Amanda Smith/Quinte News)

She began her municipal career in 1989 with the Village of Bloomfield as the assistant to the clerk before becoming the clerk/treasurer/collector in 1992.

White became clerk of the County of Prince Edward in 2013 after serving 15 years as deputy clerk.

Her last day is Friday, June 28.

White is being replaced by Catalina Blumenberg.

Catalina Blumenberg takes over as Clerk in Prince Edward County. (Photo: Amanda Smith/Quinte News)

Blumenberg served as deputy clerk at the Township of Uxbridge in Durham Region from 2017- 2019. Prior to that she served as committee clerk at the City of Kingston from 2014-2016. She began her career in local government as an intern with the Town of Carleton Place in 2013.