Over the past 47 years, Esther Rozum has glimpsed into the lives of almost every resident of Seymour.
As the Town Clerk, she knows when they get married, what dogs they have, and when they sell their homes.
“I feel like I know everybody in Seymour,” Rozum said recently.
In September, Rozum will retire from the post to spend time with her family — specifically her 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
“Right now I’m going to devote my time to my grandchildren and my flower garden, and my vegetable garden,” Rozum said.
Seymour Tax Collector Robert Anderson has also announced his retirement, effective June 14. Anderson worked at Town Hall for the last 12 years.
Five Decades In Seymour
Rozum, a lifetime Seymour resident, started working in the town clerk’s office in 1965, when she was 38 years old.
She started off as a clerical worker, getting promoted to assistant town clerk in 1975 and to Town Clerk in 1994.
Rozum almost quit her first year on the job.
“It got hectic, so I was going to leave,” Rozum said. “I got another job.”
She told her boss — then-Town Clerk Richard Pearson — that she was leaving to work at the Evening Sentinel.
Pearson felt responsible, Rozum said.
“He said ‘I must be a terrible boss. Why are you leaving?’” Rozum recalled this week.
Pearson convinced Rozum to stay — saying she wouldn’t regret it.
For the most part, Rozum said she hasn’t.
“It’s a very interesting job, and I hope whoever takes over enjoys it as much as I did,” Rozum said.
Changes
Over the past 47 years, Rozum has developed a system for her record-keeping. But much has changed during that time — specifically the digitizing of many town records.
The town also runs more elections than it did in the past, Rozum said.
For example, a primary election is coming up on April 24, then the town has a budget referendum on May 3, and then it turns to regular election time.
Each election means paperwork and organization in the Town Clerk’s office, Rozum said.
“We have a lot more voting than we ever did,” Rozum said.
Rozum said when the Villa Bianca opened several years ago, Seymour’s marriage license rate soared, as people getting married at the banquet hall came in to get their paperwork.
Former co-workers said Rozum was a dedicated employee.
“She was always doing something for the betterment of the town,” said Dan Brandon, who served as First Selectman in Seymour from 1977 to 1981.
“The town will lose a dedicated person,” Brandon said. “No question.”
Irene Hupprich was an assistant clerk under Rozum until 2001.
“I’m surprised she is leaving,” Hupprich said. “She often talked of it, but then she would change her mind.”
“I always said she was just never going to leave because she liked it,” Hupprich said. “She did her job, and was there every day.”
The town clerk’s position is appointed.
First Selectman Kurt Miller was unable to be reached for comment about the replacement process for the two positions.
