NEW FOLKS AT CITY HALL

by
Maryann Miller

 

Well, not exactly new, except for Connie Clanton, the new Administrative Assistant for the City of Winnsboro. The other two have been with the city already, they just moved to different jobs and different offices.

Nina Browning, who had been the City Secretary, is the new City Administrator and has held that job for a month now. "I'm loving it," she said. "Ronny (Knight) left quite a legacy and he is a hard act to follow, but I come to the job with a lot of experience and I just love the City of Winnsboro."

Nina came to the area from Houston in 1998 after her husband, Boyd Proctor, retired from Continental airlines. He had been raised in DeKalb, and they wanted to move close to his parents who are still living, so they settled at Lake Bob Sandlin. Shortly after moving in, Boyd was on the Airport Board in Winnsboro and heard that the City Secretary job was open. He told Nina about it, she applied, and got the job. "I just love city work," she said. "I always have. I'm very much a people person, so I like dealing with people and be involved in problem solving. I've also enjoyed learning about government and legal aspects of how a city operates."

Prior to taking the job here, Nina worked in a number of places, including LaPorte, where she learned the ins and outs of city administration by experiencing practically every job pertained to running a city. She started as secretary to the Maintenance Director, then she went to public works and worked in the payroll department. After that, she went to city hall where she was secretary to the Director of Code Enforcement and Engineering. From there, Nina took a job in Shoreacres as City Secretary/Administrator.

She is happy to now be here in Winnsboro and serving as City Administrator. When asked if she had something specific she hoped to accomplish this year, there wasn't even a moment's hesitation before she said, "Street repair. That is a major priority, and I am continuing the work that Ronny Knight started toward funding the repairs. He started investigating some ORCA (Office of Rural Community Affairs) grants, and I am following up with that."

Nina also said she would like to see the proposed skateboard park become a reality. She said the young people would really enjoy having something like that and a lot of people have put a great deal of effort into some planning and developement to see if it can happen.

The other thing she wanted people to know is that she has an open-door policy. "Anybody can come and see me anytime," she said. "People sometimes just want you to listen and to know you care and will make an effort to help them. So that is what I want to do, and I hope the citizens of Winnsboro will give me a chance. I love this town and I'll do my best as City Administrator."

Vickie Brenton, the new City Secretary, was the Assistant City Secretary for about a year, working with Nina who was the City Secretary, so she pretty well knows the ropes and feels comfortable in the new job. Vickie was originally from Winnsboro, moved away for a while, then came back about 10 years ago. She worked for several years at First National Bank, before coming on board at the city offices. She has two boys, one in Denton, and one who just returned from Japan and is in Del Rio.She said she is thrilled with the new job. "I just love it," she said. "Winnsboro is such a great city, who wouldn't love it. It's a great place to raise kids."

The New Administrative Assistant, Connie Clanton, lives in Pickton, and she said so far nobody at City Hall has said she has to move to Winnsboro. "Maybe Pickton is close enough that it is almost part of Winnsboro," she said.

Connie brings a lot of experience in administration to the job, having previously worked in various office jobs. She worked for an optometrist in Sulphur Springs for several years and also worked for the Como/Pickton School District. She heard about the opening in Winnsboro and was happy to get get the job. "This is a nice place to work. The people are supportive and really good to work with."

It is obvious that the women make a good team, and they are dedicated to the welfare of the city and everyone in it.