HONESDALE -- Wayne County Business Manager John Haggarty submitted his retirement notification letter, with an anticipated date of July 3, 2020. This letter brings mixed emotions for all.
We are very excited for John and his next stage of life, after 40 years of exceptional service to the County and our citizens. John has been a capable, consistent and caring public servant. He has always done the right thing for the county ahd has been an example of loyalty, confidentiality, professionalism and team player. We wish him well in his well deserved retirement, and he has earned our respect and admiration.
John shared his retirement intent with the Commissioners over seven months ago. Discussions for succession planning were started as we were concerned with how to operate in the future without his institutional knowledge and were extremely thankful for the lead time to address and plan for what we were going to do going into the future.
With the planning tine afforded to us by John, we had opportunities for internal discussions as to how to move forward. Vicky Botjer, our Chief Clerk for over 15 years, expressed interest in being promoted to the position soon to be vacated by John Haggarty. With Vicky's interest and our desire to maximize the opportunity to continue to strengthen county operations in light of the changes coming, the Commissioners sought to come up with a solution that could harness the capabilities, experiences and strengths of people and set us up with a new structure to move forward.
Effective January 6, 2020, we will promote Vicky Botjer to become our new Chief Financial Officer. In addition to John's duties as Business Manager, VIcky will be the lead to integrate our entire financial system, including the Human Services area, into a county-wide, computerized accounting and reporting system and to continue the development of a county-wide Human Resources Department.
Vicky's vast public accounting background as a CPA, in addition to her experience as Chief Clerk for 15 years, makes her the absolute ideal candidate for this new position. We are very excited for the new opportunity to improve our ability as a County to operate more efficiently and effectively with Vicky applying her experience and skills in heading up this position.
Over the 7-month time frame, the Commissioners sought out multiple individuals to become our Chief Clerk. After may months of discussion and planning, we are proud to announce the intent to appoint Andrew Seder as our Chief Clerk effective January 6, 2020.
Andrew has an extensive background in governmental business as the regional representative for PA State Senator Lisa Baker. He has worked for over 6 years in Senator Baker's Wayne/Pike offices and has been directly involved in many joint successful projects with Wayne County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Andrew Seder is formally educated and experienced in Communications and Media and resides in Wayne County. Andrew has worked with many local, State and Federal officials in the past that will directly contribute to the ability of the County to tap into future financial opportunities to further economic development and service the needs of Wayne County. His education, expertise and experiences are ideal for what we need in the County and as Chief Clerk. He will be able to apply these skills and contribute to the future success of the County.
Thank you to John Haggarty, and we wish you all the best for a wonderful retirement. Congratulations and thank you to Vicky Botjer for accepting the challenge of your new promotion to CFO. Congratulations to Andrew Seder for accepting the appointment of Chief Clerk. We are very excited for the opportunities this will provide for all and are looking forward to moving Wayne County successfully into the future.