By JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer
NORTH BRUNSWICK – The longtime deputy clerk for North Brunswick is retiring after 16 years.
Milvi Weiner started working for the township on Jan. 9, 2001. She interviewed with then-Clerk Helen Folek and Deputy Clerk Lisa Gerhartz (now Russo), who became the municipal clerk after Folek retired in 2003.
“I had just left working at John Adams Elementary School for nine years. Councilman Sal Paladino at that time was the principal and hired me as a lunch aide and then I moved into the kitchen,” Weiner said. “I started as the receptionist and then I moved into the clerk’s office. I worked hard, trying to learn all the jobs involved in the clerk’s office and attended classes to become a registrar for vital statistics. I was appointed to deputy clerk and deputy registrar by Lisa Russo and was approved by the state to become deputy registrar.”
Over the years, Weiner’s responsibilities have included attending council meetings, taking minutes and helping to set up for reorganization meetings.
She also has participated in the entire election process – hiring poll workers for both political parties to work on election days; preparing election bags; and at the end of election night, dropping off the election results and supplies to the Board of Election office.
In addition, through the clerk’s office, she has issued pet, merchant, swimming pool and wrecker licenses.
She also has volunteered for the youth of the town, especially during the Youth Sports Festival held every June.
Weiner was also the secretary for the Rent & Mobile Home Board and reported the new Consumer Price Index figure each April to apartment owners, which regulated how much a tenant’s rent could increase.
“What I will miss most will be the ladies that are part of our Senior Ambassador Program,” Weiner said of retiring on Feb. 28. “They volunteer each day to man the phones and are a pleasure to talk and work with.
“I will also miss my friends at work and working the once-a-year rabies clinic. People say I am crazy but I enjoy seeing all the pets come in, small or large, to get their vaccines,” she said.
To show their appreciation, members of the North Brunswick Township Council honored Weiner during the Feb. 6 council meeting, presenting her with a clock inscribed for her years of service.
“Milvi was an important person for our town,” Mayor Francis “Mac” Womack said. “The energy, enthusiasm, excitement she brings to the job – she’s someone who can’t say no. She’s someone who always does what you ask her. She’s someone who has always gone above and beyond. She’s the kind of person that does not come along very often.”
Contact Jennifer Amato at jamato@gmnews.com.
