City Clerk Karol Jones retires after 28 years.

POULSBO — If there’s just one thing city clerk Karol Jones is known for around Poulsbo, it could be the “Please Stop” sign she cordially holds during public testimony at council meetings when a speaker has surpassed their three-minute allotment.

Perhaps it’s her calm exterior demeanor; her efficiency that rolls with all types of punches.

Or it could be her ability to answer nearly any city-related question aimed her way.

But for the woman who started as Mayor Clyde Caldart’s part-time secretary in 1979, these things simply skim the surface of 28 years of service for the city of Poulsbo. Now, as she prepares to hand the minute-taking over to the next in line, many of Jones’ coworkers say there’s much more her work will be remembered for than what meets the eye.

“There’s just

so much going on”

Since 1979 — with a brief leave in 1985 — Jones’ name has had a place on the city roster as secretary, deputy clerk and lastly city clerk. She’s served under six mayors and more than 30 council members.

“It’s been a job that I’ve enjoyed with lots of challenges,” she said. At what she termed the “info hub of the city,” the clerk’s office is responsible for a gaggle of duties, including providing staff support, processing ordinances and resolutions, distributing business licenses and coordinating record keeping. And along with all this, the four-member staff is the first face citizens see when coming to city hall.

Back when her to-do list wasn’t as pressing, Jones said talking with downtown business owners was a favorite part of the job.

“It’s great walking downtown and seeing people that you know,” she said. “It was nice to have the time back then to do that.”

But nowadays, Jones said Poulsbo’s smallish size is a deceiving cover for a hopping municipality.

“You think small town and you think nothing’s going on, but there’s just so much going on.”

Jones said the city’s growth over the years has been fascinating to watch from her front row seat, and she’s glad, after so long, a new city hall is on its way. Working for the council isn’t so bad either, she said, especially after hearing stories from other city clerk pals.

“I tell them (council members), ‘don’t get a big head, but you are pretty good to work for,’” she said with a laugh.

When it comes to her “Please Stop” sign, she fondly recalled one gentleman, a recurring speaker at city meetings, who was so sure Jones was cutting his three minutes unduly short he brought his own stopwatch. He discovered, of course, she wasn’t shortchanging him.

And one thing Jones said she’d like to see change is the state’s public records request law, which she hopes is tailored so inquiries are made more specific, and thus easier to respond to.

Jones said most of her duties haven’t been spotlighted, and that’s just how she wanted it.

“Most of (the job) is behind the scenes,” she said, smiling, “and I like that.”

“One of those

shining stars”

From support during the Olhava annexation process and its involved public meetings to the start of numerous local improvement districts and the initiation of research for paperless council packets, Poulsbo Mayor Kathryn Quade said Jones distinguished herself as one of the best in her field.

“She is the epitome, in my mind, of what a city clerk should be,” Quade said. She said Jones’ level of efficiency will be a hard one to come by again, and her quick thinking combined with a belief in the integrity of government resulted in service that will be extremely missed.

“Karol’s like the constant, she’s the one constant that always stays the same,” said city executive assistant Carly Michelson. While Jones knows how to get down to business, she is also “a joy to work with,” she said.

In a letter to the state for a nomination honoring city clerks, Poulsbo Parks and Recreation Director Mary McCluskey praised Jones, and said even the planning of the yearly barbecue was something she had down to a T.

“As a matter of fact, after she retires, I’m going to hire her in the parks and recreation department because I think she would make a great recreation leader!” McCluskey wrote.

Deputy clerk Jill Boltz, who will take over for Jones, 61, after her retirement at the end of the week, said her predecessor’s got the kind of dependability a clock could be set to.

“She’s just a great person to work with and for,” Boltz said. “I’ve worked for good and bad administrators and clerks. She is definitely one of those shining stars.”

Now, that shining star is ready to take on projects around her house she’s left for retirement, and fill her new role as a grandma to her nine-week-old granddaughter. Of Boltz, Jones said she’s already proven a worthy city employee, and will implement new ideas and a helpful computer literacy when she steps in to the city clerk seat.

“I think she will do a fantastic job,” she said.