By Karen D. Lorentz
Friday, Dec. 20, was Town Clerk and Treasurer Lucrecia Wonsor’s final day on the job after working 24 years for the town of Killington.
Peggy Neisner, CMC, who stepped into the role of assistant town clerk in November 2021 was appointed the new town clerk by the Select Board on Dec. 18 and Monika Legayda who served as assistant treasurer since 2018 was appointed the new treasurer. (Legayda also has served as an assistant town clerk since 2022 and continues in that capacity as well.) Bot were given the oath of office by Wonsor, who is a Notary, on Dec. 20.
Wonsor, who was honored at a surprise luncheon and party by town employees, Representative James Harrison, and clerks from around the state, said she has “no special retirement plans other than spending time with my husband and family.”
Praising Wonsor as a mentor, Neisner said the town of Killington was fortunate to have had her dynamic leadership as a town clerk for over two decades. “She’s been a powerhouse, even presenting before the Vermont Legislature to advocate for higher recording fees for towns.” Beyond that, she noted Wonsor served on committees throughout New England and even internationally and has guided many town clerks in Vermont.
Before Wonsor joined the town office staff in 2000 and became town clerk in 2002 and treasurer in 2013, her experience included: working for a pharmaceutical company, 1978-1992; assisting a New Jersey attorney doing real estate closings and estate planning, 1992-1998; and working part time for Killington Resort in reservations, 1998-2002.
Wonsor said that the myriad duties of the town clerk include: recording all land records, permits, maps, cemetery deeds, and vital records (births, deaths, marriages); running all elections and maintaining the voter checklist; administering oaths and oths of office; providing notary services; issuing licenses (liquor, dogs, marriage, hunting and fishing); keeping and maintaining all town records, grand lists; serving the Board of Civil Authority and managing its tax appeals; being a member of the Board of Abatement; working with title searchers to get documents from other town departments; and assisting residents, second homeowners and the general public with any question they may have.
“The clerk’s office is usually the first office someone reaches out to either via phone, email or in person when they have a question or need, and we do our best to help them,” Wonsor said.
Asked about serving as town clerk, Wonsor said, “I have enjoyed the job very much over the years. Elections, even though they have become more labor intensive, are still exciting and one of my favorite jobs.”
She also cited the fun of issuing marriage licenses and hearing how couples met; welcoming new babies into town; and registering dogs and giving them a Milkbone. “Helping residents, property owners and visitors with anything they needed,” also made the work very fulfilling, she said.
The town treasurer’s duties include managing the town, golf course and cemetery bank accounts. That entails: depositing all town receipts (tax payments, recreation program registration, monies from the State and Federal governments and any other town receipts); depositing and posting all golf receipts (pro shop and restaurant); handling all cemetery funds and paying cemetery invoices; reconciling town, golf and cemetery accounts; and investing town funds when possible to maximize interest earnings.
As treasurer, Wonsor said she enjoyed reconciling the accounts the most, along with the challenge of keeping a watchful eye on the town’s cash and communicating to the town manager and selectboard on the status of the cash balance.
“There is a lot of other little things we do in the clerk and treasurer’s office — this office is like Mikey in the cereal commercial. Need an answer to a question? Call the town clerk. Need help navigating your Homestead Declaration? Call the town clerk. Need to know how to get your free burger ticket on Green Up Day? Call the town clerk. Need to know where to get a Porta Potty? Call the town clerk. And we do not mind. Call, walk in any time and we are happy to help,” she said of the multi-faceted position.
Asked what changes she’s seen during her years working for the town, Wonsor said, “The job has become more complex particularly in regard to elections. There is less mail but the number of emails have quadrupled and continue to increase. There is less time to devote to special projects such as back scanning and indexing Vermont Property Transfer Returns and other miscellaneous records that predate 2009. The clerk’s office and treasurer’s office has always picked up the slack whenever there is a transition or change in town administration to keep things moving smoothly.”
As for things running smoothly, Wonsor said, “I am extremely fortunate to have found two very qualified individuals who are committed to the town of Killington — both its residents/voters and property owners. Peggy and Monika will serve this town well. My success in my role as town clerk and treasurer is because of them and their commitment to the job and their work ethic. The offices of town clerk and treasurer are a team effort.”
New town clerk
Peggy Neisner, who has also been a Killington Justice of the Peace since 2003, began her career as a legal assistant in St. Louis and continued in that capacity after she and her attorney husband the late MB Neisner moved to Killington in 1989. She worked for a Rutland law firm for three years after his death and then joined the Killington Town Office at Wonsor’s encouragement.
Asked about the clerk’s job, she said, “There’s no manual on how to be a town clerk, just a mountain of tasks to conquer! From receiving, recording, and indexing deeds, land-use permits, liens, and violations to filing Property Transfer Tax Returns with the Vermont Dept. of Taxes, the town clerk wears many hats.”
Describing the multitude of forementioned town clerk tasks, she noted that what she likes about the job is “learning something every day.”
Beyond the paperwork, Neisner notes the town clerk is the bridge between residents and town government, whether tracking down answers to puzzling questions or helping out as the “go-to” person.
In addition to learning on the job under Wonsor’s patient mentorship, Neisner graduated from the New England Municipal Clerk Institute and Academy with a Certified Municipal Clerk designation and has attended CMC conferences as well as the Vermont Municipal Clerk and Treasurer Association meetings. She also attended three International Institute of Municipal Clerk conferences where clerks from around the world gather to share insights.
“My educational journey includes an array of fascinating classes from election law and record keeping to cybersecurity and ethical leadership,” she said.
Noting she has enjoyed her job as the assistant, she said that she “gets a kick out of issuing marriage licenses to happy couples,” adding, “it’s like playing Cupid with paperwork.”
Figuring out which parcels are active versus inactive while doing land recordings is her “version of a treasure hunt,” and visiting with residents brings the joy of catching up with folks she hasn’t seen in ages, she said, noting she looks forward to meeting the challenges of being Killington’s new town clerk.
New Town Treasurer
Monika Legayda, who was born in Poland, first came to work in Killington as a student on a Visa program in 2004 when she worked at Mountain Meadows. Asked to come back when she finished college, she returned after receiving an accounting and finance degree from the University of Agriculture in Szczecin in the spring of 2005.
She moved to Killington in September 2005 to complete a graduate internship program by working at Mountain Meadows doing accounting and also worked weddings. During this time, she met a skier whom she married in 2006. As the mother of three boys, Legayda continued to work part-time at Mountain Meadows. She also did property management and worked with some homeowners in Killington for about 10 years.
“When Lucrecia learned I had a degree in accounting and asked if I would join the town office, I started as an assistant town treasurer in 2018,” Legayda said.
She added assistant town clerk to her duties in 2022 and with Wonsor’s retirement, the Select Board appointed her town treasurer.
Addressing her move to America, Legayda said, “I spoke little English at that time but was hoping for a good life experience. I fell in love in this town and decided to stay in 2006. I’m a Killington homeowner since 2013 and became a U.S. Citizen in 2018.
Asked about working at the town office, she said, “This job is about people, the interaction. I love to hear the stories about people’s lives and to be able to help and share my expertise. Also, believe it or not, I like to do reconciliation of town accounts every month. I love when the numbers come together.”
