After 25 years with Fayetteville, Judy Stephens knows it all

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Fayetteville City Clerk Judy Stephens used to know each one of the city's 500 water customers and where they all lived.

And when Stephens first started working for the city part-time 25 years ago, there weren't any computers, either. She's not about to give up the technology, but should it fail ...

"If this thing went down today, I could still do the job," Stephens said, tapping the keyboard to her PC. "But these other folks wouldn't know what to do."

Stephens is celebrating her 25th year with the city after starting on as a part-time clerk who was hired by then-city manager John Lester. She has worked in every department for the city ... before there were even separate departments, Stephens points out.

Even the police department? Well, they didn't exactly let Judy go out and issue citations, but when the police clerk went on vacation, Stephens filled in for her.

"We did everything zoning, council meetings, water, building permits," said Stephens, who has also worked for eight different city managers and three different mayors.

"I could write a book, but I'd have to change the names to protect the guilty," Stephens joked.

All 25 years haven't been the smoothest of sailing there was that council meeting that lasted until 2 a.m. and "we've had some dillys" Stephens says. But she still loves her job and takes pride in providing a service and helping citizens.

"The city has been really good to me," Stephens said. "And I love the people I work with. We've got really good people here."

Stephens is known for her pleasant personality and the occasional practical joke -- such as the coffin placed in the office of City Manager Joe Morton on the occasion of his 40th birthday.

Perhaps this is what you expect from a woman who grew up ... and has moved back ... to a place called Sunnyside, Ga. in Spalding County.

"We moved it in from Mowell's (Funeral Home), an old pine box type coffin," Stephens recalled. " We brought it in after he left work that day. When he came in the next morning I really thought he was going to die."

Morton agreed that Judy got him good with the coffin stunt. But city employees got even with a surprise slide show honoring and poking fun of Stephens at last week's City Council meeting.

"She didn't know that was coming at all," Morton said.

Stephens also remembers a time when Mike Wheat was mayor that the city treated its Christmas party as an opportunity to "roast" and poke fun of the city's department heads.

All kidding aside, Morton says one of Stephens' best qualities is her effort to provide customer service to not only her co-workers but the citizens of Fayetteville also.

"There's also her knowledge of the city and all the departments," Morton said. "She's a great resource to have."

Stephens will be eligible for retirement next summer. But she loves her job and makes it sound as if she's not going anywhere.

Morton, for one, hopes she sticks around.