Harris clerk resigns

Wothe's last day will be Nov. 10.

Harris City Clerk Jennifer Wothe has resigned.
The city council will hold a special meeting on Thursday night to formally accept her resignation and and consider hiring an interim clerk.
"She's going to be tough to replace," said Harris Mayor Rick Smisson. "It will be very hard to find someone with her credentials, skill and drive to get things done."
Wothe has been with the city since December 2006. She has accepted a position with the city of Clearwater as the city administrator. Her last day in Harris will be Nov. 10.
At this time, the Wothe family intends to remain living in Isanti.
Smisson pointed to a number of things Wothe has accomplished while employed by the city of Harris.
First and foremost, she organized the city's files. When she arrived at the city, what she inherited was a back room that "looked like you'd swept it all together in a big pile and threw it in a drawer," said Smisson. Today, when paperwork is needed it can be found within 15 minutes. Wothe also organized the front office.
In addition, Smisson noted that Wothe has established many policies. She was proactive in noticing a policy was needed and then going out and gathering the information to present to the council. She then made sure that policy was enforced equally.
"One of her great strengths is she will look you in the face and say, 'That is against the rules, and I don't care who you are,'" said Smisson.
Smisson anticipates that the first step the city council will take is to hire an interim clerk. Plans are to wait to hire a permanent clerk until January when the new council is in place.