HAVERHILL — For Marilyn Stalzer Polley, serving as city clerk and treasurer for the City of Haverhill has been more than a job — it’s been a way of life. On June 29, she’ll pass the metaphorical baton — along with boxes of files — to her successor, Jennifer Fogle, after 38 years.

Polley has performed the duties from her home office since she was first appointed as city clerk on May 1, 1980, adding treasurer to her list of duties in 1986.

“I never looked at it as a job,” Polley said. “To me, it became one of those household tasks I had to do, because it wasn’t a go to work, do the job, come home thing; I’d do laundry and feed the family (while completing City of Haverhill tasks).”

A native of Haverhill, she attended St. Joseph’s Catholic School in her youth, then graduated from Marshalltown High School. She said bookkeeping courses she completed at MHS helped prepare her for the clerical duties of her work. She married Dennis Polley in 1973, and had three sons, Kevin, Ken and Kurt. From 1973-80, the family resided in Waterloo before returning to her hometown for her husband to accept a position with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department. He retired as chief deputy sheriff in 2008.

“I thought, I have three children, what can I do to not have to pay a sitter, and can do a job out of my home?” Polley recalled.

Lucille Bills resigned as city clerk, and on April 14, 1980, Mayor Charles Jennings announced that Polley would fill her shoes, having been appointed by the city council.

“The job came with an electric typewriter and a file cabinet. I still have them both,” Polley noted. “I made $3.50 an hour, plus five dollars per meeting, working 20 hours a month.”

Preparing city council agendas, recording and maintaining all council minutes, resolutions and ordinances, doing budget estimates, balancing the city’s finances, as well as issuing licenses and permits, are the bare basics of the job description.

Bill Roads, who served as both Haverhill mayor and as a city councilman a combined 25 years, said Polley was easy to work with.

“Marilyn and I got along fantastic. She did such a good job, there was never any complaints,” he said. “She did quite a bit — took care of the money, the annual reports — and knew all the rules and regulations.”

Matt Stalzer currently serves on the Haverhill City Council and is also her nephew.

“She’s a very organized person. She does so much for the city and runs it like her own business. She puts in extra time after hours,” Stalzer said. “She really loves the City of Haverhill.”

Polley said there are many city projects and initiatives she assisted with over the years that she reflects upon with satisfaction. The city blacktop project began in 1986 as an initiative to start paving the roads in Haverhill.

“This was a big accomplishment and really made the town look nice,” she said. “As time went on, the council was able to blacktop all the streets in town, a little at a time. Before that, we spent a lot of time and money on rock and dust control.”

An overhaul of the city’s sewer system got off the ground in 1989, with Central Iowa Water Association ultimately taking over the project in 2001.

“In January of 1992, the sewer system completion was nearing the end, and I was put in charge of setting up the billing. I designed a coupon book for customers, similar to what everyone used for water … in 2002 and 2003, a franchise with Central Iowa Water was put in place. It included the Tri-City Lagoon that is shared with Ferguson and Laurel, and the system that runs in Haverhill. I chose to end the bill and let the water company do it.”

Polley, and the other residents of Haverhill, got to spotlight their community’s achievements in a sesquicentennial celebration, which took place on July 14, 2007.

“I was part of the committee for this spectacular celebration,” she said.

From now until her final day on the job, she will be helping to train Fogle. As much as Polley has relished her duties, she said she looks forward to having more time to spend with family.

She is certain of what she’ll miss most about her job, “Knowing what’s going on in the city, and the day to day operations.”

A retirement party will be held at 4 p.m. June 30 at the Haverhill Social Club. The public is invited to attend.

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Contact Sara Jordan-Heintz at 641-753-6611 or sjordan@timesrepublican.com