St. John’s assistant resigns

#Middlebury #FirstSelectman

Barbara Whitaker, executive assistant to Middlebury First Selectman Edward B. St. John, shared this selfie. Whitaker is resigning to take a position in Farmington. (Photo courtesy Barbara Whitaker)

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

First Selectman Edward B. St. John’s executive assistant, Barbara Whitaker, announced her resignation Monday, April 18. She is resigning effective Wednesday, May 4, to take a position in human resources in Farmington. She has worked in the first selectman’s office 19 years, all but four of those for St. John.

St. John said he was lucky to have her working for him. “She leaves big shoes to fill and it’s not going to be easy to fill them,” he said. He noted she takes with her deep knowledge of the history of the town over the past 19 years, and you don’t piece that together easily.

“I’m losing a right arm,” St. John said, noting that he said that last month when talking about working with Jack Proulx, who served as the town’s fire marsal for many years. “I’ve lost a second right arm,” he said.

“She knows the people and the history,” he said. “She knows when it’s a hot button item and when it’s not.”

Noting that computers allow Whitaker to work from home, he said the two of them basically are available 24/7. He said on weekends she uses the computer to scan emails and see if anything needs immediate attention. Between the pandemic, snowstorms and other natural disasters, St. John said there are many times the two truly are working 24/7.

Barbara said she first started working in the first selectman’s office in 2003, when her children, Jarrett and Justice, were 2 and 5, respectively. The position then was part-time with hours from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., hours that worked perfectly with her childcare needs. She said the hours increased by a half hour a week each year, and now the position it’s a full time job.

She and her family live in Naugatuck, and she said she felt it was an advantage to have someone in her position who did not live in Middlebury. “It allows the person to be more objective,” she said.

Objectivity and people-handling skills are vital to the position. She said sometimes people are extremely upset when they call the office. Some even demand to speak to St. John. That’s when Barbara engages them in conversation so she can better understand their issue and direct them to the person or department that can best help them.

St. John said, “Barbara has always been there for me … She knows what needs to come to me and what goes to a department head.”

When residents call to complain, Barbara is often the first person they reach. Two common complaints she hears are beyond her control. One is Eversource power restoration times; the town has no control over them. The other common complaint is about problems on state roads. Routes 63, 64 and 188 are all state roads that are maintained by the state rather than the town, and the state may or may not notify the town of issues on those roads.

Residents also call for very simple reasons. They ask her for the phone numbers of town departments or they ask her to look up something for them on the internet.

With the encouragement of her husband, Bruce, who studied at night for a master’s degree when he was working with the state police, Barbara pursued more education. In 2018, she earned SHRM-CP certification from the Society of Human Resources Management. The Society promotes the role of human resources as a profession and provides education, certification, and networking to its members, while lobbying Congress on issues pertinent to labor management.

She earned an MBA in project management from Post University in 2020. Now she is about to complete a masters degree in human relations with an emphasis on leadership from the University of Oklahoma.

Over the past 19 years, Bruce, who was a lieutenant with the Connecticut State Police, took an early retirement package. Now he works a security/counselor position at Ansonia Middle School. Barbara said he loves it there.

Daughter Justice, now 24, works as a medical assistant at Community Health Care and plans to go back to school to become a registered nurse. Son Jarrett, now 21, attends Gateway Community College while working full time at the Naugatuck Post office.

As she heads off to her new position, Barbara said “What I will miss most is the people and helping people, both the residents and the department heads.” She said she tried to make friends with everyone while she was here.