The City of Fountain recently saw the retirement of Rhonda Flattum, who had served as the city’s clerk/administrator for eight years. But Fountain was fortunate to have time for Flattum to train her replacement, and for that replacement to bring a wealth of experience to the role.
Mary Tjepkes was hired as Fountain’s new clerk, and she stated, “It came about by my sister Becky (Schmidt) calling me. Robin had talked to her, and asked if she knew anybody that was looking for a position like this.” Mary has served on the city council in Wykoff for several years, and her sister Becky has been the clerk in Wykoff for a number of years as well.
Mary explained that, beginning in March, she was being trained two days per week by the outgoing Flattum, which allowed for a smooth transition of the position. She added, “I didn’t have a real appreciation to this position until I started into it. And when I did, I called up my sister Becky right away and said ‘I have to tell you how much I appreciate you because I didn’t realize what all this entails.’”
Tjepkes adds that besides the training from Flattum, “I have a wonderful support group for this position.” She mentioned the she’s gotten help from Fountain city staff, the League of Minnesota Cities, Beacon (an agency that helps calculate utility billing), and her own sister, Becky. Tjepkes added, “Rhonda kept excellent notes and files on the computer… which is extremely helpful.”
When asked if there are any challenges or conflicts involved in serving on the city council in one city while working as the clerk for another city, Tjepkes said there is no conflict of interest, and added, “And as a matter of fact, it has helped with some zoning issues here in Fountain. It’s given me a little more knowledge, from being on the (Wykoff) council.”
According to Tjepkes, Flattum fully retired on May 6, and Tjepkes has been on her own since then. Her office’s regular hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, although she said she’s appreciated some flexibility in that schedule while she has helped care for a family member recovering from an injury.
Regarding her education and work history, Tjepkes stated, “I went to school for unit secretary back in ’94 and ’95, so that’s the first time I ever touched a computer. And then I worked at St Mary’s for seven years as a clerk/typist, and was in a developmental program for administrative assistant… and I ended up finding a position at Valley Design for seven years.”
Tjepkes said that she “pretty much grew up in the area” following her father’s retirement, which led to the family moving to Minnesota when Mary was seven years old. She said one of the things she loves about the area is, “Small towns… everybody is so friendly. They’re ready to help if there’s a bad situation.” She said her favorite activities include spending time with family, fishing, bingo, and just being outdoors. She added that she now has five grandchildren between the ages of 13 and one, who all live in the local area, and she cherishes spending time with them.
Looking ahead to her own future, Tjepkes stated, “I’ve got eight years until retirement, so I have eight years to put into something, to make things better.” In describing what she hopes and expects for Fountain in the upcoming years, Tjepkes said, “It’s a beautiful little town,” and she is eager for things to get back to some semblance of “normal” following the pandemic, whatever that may look like.