Why does a village clerk resign without warning? It is a question many in Forestville are pondering after Marcia Petersen abruptly resigned from her position, effective June 25.
Petersen was outspoken when it came to salaries of village workers being too low, especially in 2010. That is when she made a number of comments - even in public meetings - regarding how low the tax rate was due to a lack of proper compensation for village workers.
"You can keep the tax rate down only if you don't do some of the things you need to do," Petersen said. "Part of government is not just the day-to-day operations of current expenses, a good part of government is planning for the future. And any good government sets aside money for reserves for the future so you don't have to take out loans to buy new equipment."
That year, the village raised the tax rate on its residents by nearly 20 percent. Included in that tax hike was a major pay increase for the village clerk Petersen.
Two years later, she resigns. Something is up.
