After a long and successful career in county government, Carla Waugh is retiring from her position as County Clerk for Jewell County, as she has been at the helm in the County Clerk's office since 1995.
Myka Zadina has been elected by county voters to office as the new County Clerk in Jewell County and will be officially assuming her duties as such effective Jan. 13, 2025, when she is scheduled to be sworn in. Zadina has been office assistant in the County Clerk's office for more than years, working as an election clerk and fulfilling many other responsibilities under the direction of Waugh.
New applicants for the position of office assistant are being screened presently for the position that Zadina is vacating soon in order to assume her duties as County Clerk.
Waugh said, "I started here in 1995 when Wesley Moore retired and then I was appointed by the Republican Committee, and then I ran for office every four years. Before that, I started in the county appraiser's office from 1986 until 1995. Initially, I started working for the county as secretary for the appraiser's office in 1980, so I have been working for the county for 44 years."
Waugh is happy about her retirement, not just because she looks forward to being able to enjoy herself with more time to relax at home, but also, she has grandchildren that live several hours away. Now being able to go with her husband on trips out of town and visit with her children and grandchildren which obviously is something special for her and her family to do in retirement.
The Waugh family of course is proud of Carla's service in county government. Also noteworthy is her husband, Carl, has also served 24 years as a professional mechanic for the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), retiring in 2019.
Carl and Carla married in 1980, and are parents and grandparents. Jeremy and Jennifer were twins born in December 1986. Jeremy Waugh resides in Paolo, Kansas. Jennifer Urdaniak is married to Vincent Urdaniak and reside in Mankato.
Carla Waugh previously was a resident Burr Oak, Kansas.
In her work in Jewell County, Waugh commented she has really enjoyed working with the public also while performing her duties as county clerk for many years.
Waugh said about her job, "We pay all the bills, and we balance with the County Treasurer, and we do accounts payable, and Human Resources (HR), including benefits processing."
MacKenzie Kohler works in the office for the county clerk, with specific duties on the HR aspect. Waugh said about Kohler: "She is our HR and payroll guru."
Waugh noted one of her most important roles she has played since starting as county clerk, has been working with the Jewell County Commissioners, presently including Keith Roe, Brent Beck and Ed Duskie.
According to the county website jewellcountykansas.net, the following breakdown of specific areas within Jewell County are identified and listed below to indicate respective responsibilities of each commissioner.
For District 1, Commissioner Duskie represents the following: townships of Allen, Athens, Brownscreek, Buffalo, Calvin, Erving, Ionia, Odessa, Prairie, Vicksburg, Washington and the cities within those townships.
For District 2, Commissioner Roe represents the following: townships of Center, and Limestone and the cities within those townships.
For District 3, Commissioner Beck, represents the following townships: Burr Oak, Esbon, Grant, Harrison, Highland, Harrison, Holmwood, Jackson, Montana, Richland, Sinclair, Walnut, Whitemound and the cities within those townships.
Waugh said that the commissioners make all the rules and the handbook, indicating that her office follows the rules that they have set down.
Reflecting on her overall experience in county government, Waugh said, "I always enjoyed this job. I always have been proud we can get along working here. I had good people to help me to do my job."
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