Page 5 - City of El Centro :: Winter 2021 Community Newsletter

A few years passed and in 2008 Norma was hired as a Staff Assistant in the Economic Development division where she worked in this position for four years. Norma knows a lot about the City of El Centro! “In 2012, I was hired in the City Clerks department and worked with then City Clerk, Diane Caldwell. I worked with Diane for seven-and-a-half years, the longest I’ve stayed in any department!” she laughs. Caldwell retired in the spring of 2020 and Norma was appointed by the City Council as City Clerk on April 7th, 2020.
“I felt nervous but at the same time, excited knowing that being the City Clerk was a big responsibility” states Norma. As she has settled into her new position, there are still many things to do and organize so the department works well for Wyles and her team. “One of my biggest challenge as the City Clerk is to find more storage space” Wyles chuckles. “Our department is already busting at the seams with filled storage cabinets and the vault for our permanent documents”.
The City Clerk’s office is generally a two-person team consisting of Wyles and her Secretarial Assistant, Aimee Osuna. “Aimee is a great person to work with and does a great job! She is very efficient and very knowledgeable of our department” states Wyles. Norma knows her position very well but yet her department, like many departments, struggles with working around COVID-19 and some of the challenges the pandemic has caused. “The year 2020 has been an exceptional year because of COVID-19. It has been a very busy year with many more City Council meetings and learning how to social distance in our Council Chambers. Keeping everyone safe is our top priority” states Wyles.
Beyond the challenges, Norma enjoys her position and also working with the Council. “I enjoy working with the City Council members! You get to see government in action and an up-close glimpse at the people and programs that make our community successful!” she states. This year we’ll see an end to some familiar faces which Wyles admits is difficult “We are sad when our City Council members leave. They become part of our work family and we build a strong working routine with them. We welcome our new City Council members and look forward to working with and getting to know them too.” she states.
#WeAreElCentro
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