Clerk’s clock strikes zero

Suellen Kolbet remembers the first raise she received as a city of New Hampton employee as if it was granted yesterday.“When I went full time, I went to $3.03 [per hour], and that was pretty cool,” she said. “Of course, that was ages ago.”’And today, a remarkable career — one marked by longevity that just doesn’t seem to happen anymore — comes to a close as Kolbet works her last day as New Hampton’s city clerk.She is retiring after 40 years in the clerk’s office, and although she may have set some kind of record by starting her “retirement countdown clock” more than a year and a half ago, there’s a hint of sadness in her voice.— For more on this story, see the May 25 New Hampton Tribune.