ORTONVILLE – Anyone who has been in the village offices or attended village events has had the pleasure of being met by a warm smile from Cindy VanMegroet.
Serving as village clerk/treasurer for 12 years, she is quick to offer that her secret to job longevity is liking where she worked and the residents she worked with.
So, it was with difficulty that, on the 12th anniversary of her employment with the village, VanMegroet resigned.
She has accepted the position of treasurer for the city of Davison, the same municipality where former Ortonville village manager Pete Auger is now city manager.
“Leaving here is the hardest [work] decision I’ve ever made,” said VanMegroet. “This move has nothing to do with anyone or anything. This is a step for me, [as a single person] to make my future secure.
“The village has been wonderful to me,” she said. “If I was unhappy, the transition would be easy.”
VanMegroet said the decision was a tough one because the people of this community and her coworkers have become her friends, and she enjoys the daily contact.
“Joni Hennard makes me look good,” she said.
Mutually, her coworkers will feel the void.
“Her sense of caring for what goes on in this community and village is unequalled,” said Village Manager Paul Zelenak. “When you work in a small office it’s a smaller team and we count on each other. It’s different to express appreciation of a coworker but it’s even tougher as a coworker and friend.
“I am saddened,” he said. “She will definitely be missed.”
As an office partner, Hennard said working with VanMegroet for the past eight years has been a great pleasure and she will do well in her new position in Davison.
Leaving the small team office will be difficult, but VanMegroet is looking forward to obtaining a career goal of focusing solely on treasury work.
“Here as a clerk/treasurer I wear a lot of different hats, because it’s a smaller community, a smaller office,” she said. “Working for a bigger municipality, like Davison, will give me the opportunity to do strictly treasury work, which is what I really want to do.”
Although she is looking forward to the challenge of working for a larger community, she will the miss the personal involvement in local organizations that serve to enhance Ortonville.
” I am going to miss working with the Downtown Development Authority,” she said. “I really enjoyed watching the DDA progress, some years ago, in changing the look of the downtown area. I was involved with that to a degree and I think it’s cool they helped. It was also exciting to see the Main Street introduction.”
As for memorable moments tucked away in the memento box, there are many. Witnessing the 150th birthday of Ortonville and her own celebration of two birthdays ending in zero.
For her 40th birthday, friends and coworkers lined the streets with signs applauding the big 4-0, and this year the village office was donned with signs, black balloons, and topped-off with a surprise party to honor the birthday girl.
Another special moment came on her 10th anniversary of employment.
“The village council gave me a watch after being here 10 years,” VanMegroet said. “It was a total surprise to me and a great gesture on their part to let me know how much they appreciated me.
“It’s difficult to leave the people. I have never had a difficult day working here.”
She knows the best piece of advice she can give her replacement.
“We are here to serve our residents; do it with a smile and it will come back at you.”