Becky PalmerIf Becky Palmer had her way, she’d leave Olivet City Hall quietly March 31 with a simple goodbye. Palmer, who has served the city for more than 31 years as City Clerk, has meant far too much to the community to get off that easy.
The City of Olivet will host a special open house Thursday, March 31 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Lamplighter OC, located at 4615 Butterfield Highway in Olivet, to honor Palmer, who announced her retirement earlier this year. The open house will give community members the opportunity to show their appreciation to a woman who has dedicated her life for the betterment of her community.
“Really to me, Becky is irreplaceable,” said Olivet Mayor Gary Peterson. “The Olivet community is a better place because of her.”
Though she will tell you she doesn’t deserve the credit, Palmer is responsible for securing 42 grants since 1990, totaling more than $3.7 million dollars for the small Mid-Michigan community. Two of the most significant ways the community has benefitted from her expertise as a grant writer are the recent downtown enhancement project that was completed in 2014; and the reconstructed street and parking lots that were completed in 2009 thanks to a $709,000 Community Block Grant.
Palmer said working with such a great group of people over the years is what she cherishes the most. She said she has often viewed many of her co-workers like her children and that close relationship has made working for the City all these years very special.
“I’ve worked in city government for 25 years, and was fortunate to do so with Becky the entire time,” Peterson added. “She always made my job easier and did the same for all of the commissioners.”
During her tenure with the City of Olivet, Palmer received the Treasurer of the Year in 1994 and Clerk of the Year Award in 2013 from the Michigan Rural Water Association.
After retirement, Palmer said she plans to spend time with her grandchildren at her home on Thornapple Lake.