SMETHPORT (EC) — McKean County Chief Clerk Audrey Irons will retire after 47 years of county service.
Irons began working at the courthouse during a co-op study program while she was a high school senior. After graduation, she accepted a position to assist the county with communications from the Army Corps of Engineers after Pennsylvania was declared a federal disaster area due to the devastation from Hurricane Agnes.
Her first duties lasted two months and required her to staff the office seven days per week to accept phone calls from the field for clean-up coordination. Following this job, Irons was hired full-time in the Tax Assessment Office as a clerk. She became chief clerk following the resignation of Bill Goodman in 1981.
Irons has seen the county through additional transitions, most notably document productions changing from ditto machines to scan and copy to the use of computers. In addition, she has also transitioned her methods of receiving funds from hand legers to spreadsheets to the county’s Munis system.
During her tenure, Irons has worked for 20 commissioners: 16 elected and four appointed. She also has worked for 12 different boards of county commissioners.
“I have enjoyed working with a variety of commissioners over the years, and looking back, it’s been many more than I realized,” she said.
Commissioner Carol Duffy praised Irons for her dedication to her position and the county, saying, “Audrey has been the one consistent force in the commissioners’ office for decades. We are grateful for her service and the integrity she has shown in our office.”
The chief clerk is responsible for supervising the operations of the commissioners’ office, receiving local, county, state and federal funds, monitoring grant funding, maintaining and preparing county agreements and supervising the State Food Purchase Program. Irons also serves as the county’s Right to Know officer and manages the county policies.
“We could never replace Audrey,” said Commissioner Cliff Lane. “She is quite simply an institution in our county. We will miss her commitment to detail in her work. We look forward to working with our new chief clerk as we make some transitions in restructuring the position.”
Pam Burlingame has been named chief clerk and began her duties alongside Irons on Tuesday. A Smethport native and a former math teacher at Smethport Area Junior-Senior High School, her alma mater, Burlingame returns from the Atlanta, Ga., area, where she most recently served as executive director for Forsyth County.
“I have always appreciated the people, resources and lifestyle in McKean County and have been enthusiastic in promoting the region,” stated Burlingame. “I am honored to play a role in maintaining longstanding traditions while being part of a team that values best practices and encourages progress. Audrey is truly unmatched in the level of detail she maintains, and I am grateful for her willingness to see the transition through.”
Irons will officially begin her retirement on June 7.
Irons has two sons and two grandchildren.
In her leisure time, she enjoys reading and traveling.
