Jeannette Butler said the most important thing she has learned about working for the public in her 38 years at McComb City Hall is compassion.
She said the flip-side to that — and a bit of advice she wants to be sure and pass on to the next city clerk — is the need to be stubborn, too.
“When you are dealing with the public, above all else, you have to be compassionate,” she said. “You never know what another person is going through, so you have to have compassion. We get a lot of people that come down this hall looking for somebody to help them understand something or tell them what they should do, and they are mad or upset because of a ticket, or a bill, or they’ve lost a loved one and they are coming in here about cemetery records.
“And sometimes they’ve been given the runaround, but we do not do that. We are the helping hands people. We make phone calls and we try to get people what they’re looking for.”
Butler recently announced to the mayor and board of selectmen that she will retire from her position as city clerk as of June 30.
The city clerk is the official record keeper for McComb who maintains an account of all the public funds and records the minutes of board meetings.
Butler said that because her position interacts with so many different departments and people of all ranks, sometimes people can be pushy, but she advises the person who fills her shoes to stand his or her ground.
“You have to be a little stubborn sometimes, too.”
Butler continued, “If you know your job to the best of your ability and you know where you stand, you sometimes have to stand up for yourself. Citizens, officials and other employees might try to dictate to you, but you have to dictate to them sometimes, too. And that’s OK.”
Butler was born and raised in McComb and said it’s been an honor to serve it.
“McComb is my home. I love this city,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed all the people I’ve worked for and with over the years.”
When asked about the best part of the job, she laughed and said, “Giving new employees a hard time.”
“A lot of times they don’t know if they should take me serious. So I try to have fun with them and act like some of the people they will be dealing with,” she said.
Butler added that the most interesting thing about her job, “hands down, is sitting in on board meetings.”
“I think every citizen should attend at least one board meeting,” she said. “It would be an interesting lesson for people. They see how their local government works. And its not just these stuffy old guys. There’s usually a lot of emotion jam-packed into that room. And when people disagree, it can really get interesting. I have seen selectmen come near to blows over a decision before. I’m going to miss that.”
Butler plans to spend more time with two granddaughters living in Houston, Texas: Lyrik Butler, 8, and Cruze Johnson, 2. She said her retirement is a birthday gift for her oldest granddaughter.
“They are my world,” Butler said. “The last time I visited we had such a wonderful time and they did not want me to go home. My 8-year-old called me up and said,
“ ‘G’ — that’s what they call me — she said, ‘G, I can’t remember if you have one freckle or two, so I need you to come back on my birthday so I can count them.’
“Now, you know I couldn’t say no to that.”
