Pence retires after 21 years as county recorder

    Washington County Recorder Connie Pence will end an illustrious career in county government on Thursday. Pence has worked in county government for more than 40 years and has been the county recorder since 1989. She announced that 2010 would be her last year in that position or any other as she is retiring. Pence hands the reins to the newly-elected recorder Jo Greiner, currently the deputy recorder.

    Pence was born and raised in Washington. Her interest in bookkeeping began in 1963 when she enrolled at Iowa City Commercial College, where she studied business and secretarial work. The following year, she was hired as a motor vehicle clerk at the Washington County Courthouse. She continued her studies while employed and eventually finished them by sending in homework to the college through the mail.

    After a few years in that position, Pence?s husband, Gary, entered the military and the two of them moved to Maryland. Pence moved back to Washington in 1967 and took a job in the auditor?s office. She was there for two years and then took a little time off to raise her family. Pence worked part-time for various county departments over the next 10 years.

    Some of that part-time work was spent in the recorder?s office, where Pence would hone her skills over the next three decades. In 1983, county recorder Eileen Wilson hired Pence to be her deputy recorder. When Wilson retired in 1989, Pence was appointed to fill the void. She was formally elected to the position the following year, and has been the recorder ever since.

    The county recorder is responsible for documenting the title on pieces of property such as real estate. Pence said the office?s workload has increased from her early days in the department. 

    ?Our office has accepted more responsibilities,? she said. ?The Legislature puts new responsibilities on you. We took on passport duties in 1995. We took on the added duties of the vital records department, which used to be housed in the clerk of court?s office. Now we?re responsible for doing certified copies of birth certificates, issuing marriage licenses, and the funeral homes have to register their death certificates with us.?

    The recorder?s office also documents the transfer of title on different kinds of vehicles. 

    ?We used to do a lot of boats,? she said. ?Then ATVs (all-terrain vehicle) came on the scene. Now we do snowmobiles and RVs, too.?

For the full story, see the Dec. 28 edition of The Washington Evening Journal