After dedicating 18 years to the City of North Battleford, the city clerk, who also serves as the director of legislative services, Debbie Wohlberg announced her retirement at council’s online Zoom meeting this week.
City Manager Randy Patrick gave a word of appreciation for her long commitment to the city.
“We want to thank her for a lot of years of service, and some very efficiently run meetings during that time, and to point out we’re going to miss her,” he said.
Mayor David Gillan also commended Wohlberg for her dedication on behalf of council.
“Over 18 years you did amazing work for the city,” he said. “I’ve worked with you for a little over three. You will be missed.”
In her speech to council, Wohlberg said she will be sad to leave.
“I’m going to miss the staff at city hall, well actually the whole entire city,” she said. “We have some terrific and dedicated people who work for the city and I am proud that I have been a part of it.”
Wohlberg’s last day in the office will be Friday. She also plans to help the new city clerk step into the role when the position is filled.
Wohlberg has spent many years in municipal administration work.
Originally from the hamlet of Mayfair, Wohlberg first became involved in municipal government while working in a rural municipality office in Speers.
“I was there as an office assistant but the administrator could see I had interest,” she told battlefordsNOW. “He felt that could be a great career for me, so he encouraged me to take the Local Government Administration Program, which I did.”
Wohlberg later became an administrator for the R.M. of Meeting Lake where she worked for 12 years before joining the City of North Battleford in 2003, when she took the role of assistant city clerk. After the clerk at the time retired, Wohlberg was officially appointed as the new city clerk in 2009, after serving in the role of acting city clerk one year before that.
Wohlberg said she has always enjoyed her work.
“There is always something new,” she said. “It’s the interaction with the public, and working with the staff.”
In preparing various items for council’s discussion, Wohlberg also was able to have a behind-the-scenes view into city activities as they progress.
“It has always has been exciting to come to work every day,” she said. “You see the final product out in the public. But you know how it got there, because you were involved in the discussions and the background [work]. That’s the interesting part.”
Her work also wasn’t without its challenges.
She recalls one unsettling night about 10 years ago, when the power was lost during a city council meeting as a result of a wild summer storm.
“We had a horrendous storm that just came through the city and knocked the power out,” she said. “It was a little scary driving home; no street lights were on. Branches were flying down onto the street, and you were driving through flooded intersections. It was like something out of an eerie movie. Except you were in it.”
The council meeting resumed the next day.
Wohlberg also served as the city’s returning electoral officer for six municipal elections.
“Those have always been a challenge,” she said. “But you really feel a good sense of gratification after you are done, to know you have accomplished a big event. It was run smoothly, and you have done it democratically.”
During the last election in 2020 Wohlberg said it was a lot of work organizing the election process, both during a pandemic and following a major snowstorm the weekend before Election Day.
“But it came together wonderfully,” she said. “I’ve always had good election workers to depend on. And, they have always shown up for the election work. So it makes it easier.”
Now that she is readying for her retirement, Wohlberg is looking forward to spending more time with family and focusing on some home projects. She’ll also try to improve her golf game a little.
“My son says I need to work on my golf swing,” she said with a laugh.
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On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW
