WALTHAM — As Waltham still mourns the deaths of its two main elected officials, former longtime Vergennes Union High School teacher Roberta “Cookie” Steponaitis is subbing in temporarily for both jobs in the Waltham Town Clerk’s Office.
Selectboard Chair Andrew Martin said he and fellow board member Timothy Ryan have also helped out around the office, which has maintained its regular hours of Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., but Martin credited Steponaitis for stepping in to fill the breach.
“She’s absolutely wonderful,” Martin said.
Town Clerk and Assistant Town Treasurer Mary Ann Castimore died after a long battle with cancer on Dec. 26. Assistant Clerk and Treasurer Lucille Evarts took over.
Then Evarts suffered a medical event on March 1 while driving home from Waltham Town Offices, with the medical event causing an accident. She was elected town clerk and treasurer the next day, but died on March 18.
In Town Meeting Day, Waltham voters approved measures that gave the selectboard power to appoint the town’s clerk and treasurer, historically elected positions in the small town.
Martin said the board proposed that measure to widen the pool for qualified applicants who could handle the increasingly complex requirements for the positions, which he said the board plans to blend into one.
“We’ve combined both the town clerk and the treasurer just to streamline things,” he said. “We’re in the throes of looking through résumés … Hopefully we’ll have somebody on board in the next couple of weeks.”
Martin said advertising locally for the part-time job has drawn a half-dozen applicants.
“We haven’t been overwhelmed,” he said.
The office’s exact hours and days of operation could change based on the successful candidate, he added.
“We’ll still maintain two days a week. But we’ll have to be somewhat flexible. We understand that,” Martin said.
One draw for an applicant will be an upgraded workplace, thanks largely to grant funding. The town office has for the first time a fully functional bathroom with running water, as well as newly refinished flooring and improved interior cosmetics.
“The office looks great,” Martin said, adding work will continue in the meeting space wing.