Novotny retires as town clerk
"It was a learning experience," said Arnita Novotny about her first being elected clerk of Cedar Lake Township in 1990. Now, after 25 years in the position, "I decided it was someone else’s turn."
Novotny, who grew up in Lonsdale and is the widow of the late Fritz Novotny, plans to spend time with her four children and eight grandchildren, who live in the area.
She explained how she began her time as the clerk for the township north of New Prague. "There was a notice in the paper about an opening. I thought I would give it a whirl." She was working full time with Scott County Public Works in the highway department, which she retired from around 2004. Her two sons and two daughters were still living at home when she started as a township clerk.
After being elected she learned how to do township ordinances and what the responsibilities were of the supervisors, and worked with them to provide information for the township. She also recorded meetings, kept, filed and published the records, worked with the treasurer and kept track of voting for township and general elections.
She noted there have been changes in procedures at the county and state levels. More work is done on computers. The township’s population has grown due to housing developments. She estimated Cedar Lake Township has about 2,000 more people.
When asked why she remained as clerk she said, "I liked the position. I had the time and no one filed against me."
"It was a learning experience. I met a lot of people. It’s amazing how many people you meet," she said, adding that she now thinks of many of the people she’s met as friends.
