New face greets visitors to town manager's office

By COURTNEY LAMDIN | Staff Writer
courtney@miltonindependent.com

Karen Egan is the newest town employee in Milton who took over administrative duties in the town manager’s office on May 2.

Egan, a Boston transplant who’s lived in Vermont for six years, replaced recent retiree Betty Couture, who finished out 38 years at the town office at the end of April.

Egan’s main duties include taking phone calls and minutes at Selectboard meetings and assisting town manager Brian Palaia with his daily duties, but Egan’s favorite part of the job is helping people, she said.

“I do enjoy just being able to have people come in, and I can help them,” she said on a recent Friday. “Today we had someone who was concerned about erosion and the fact that it really accelerated with the rain last night.

“It’s really more or less trying to figure out who I send the person to,” she continued. “It was the Highway department.”

Egan said it hasn’t been too difficult getting to know other town employees and that they’ve been helpful in the transition.

“I can run over to Bev [Chapman, administrative assistant to Public Works] a lot of times, because she knows all the machines,” Egan said. “She’s been great.”

Egan said the biggest adjustment is transitioning from the private to public sector, where there are more rules and regulations.

Palaia said it’s been challenging training Egan since Couture took family medical leave before her anticipated departure, leaving no time for transition. He’s often had to handle the office on his own – Egan works part time – but is happy the town could fill the vacancy so quickly, he said.

“We’re happy to have her here, [and] welcome her as a new employee,” Palaia said.

And Egan is happy to be here. She’s enjoying the friendly people and rural lifestyle. She illustrated this, saying that on one commute home to Essex Jct., cars had to weave around a flock of chickens, which, stubbornly, would not move.

“No one knew what to do,” she said. “Very Vermont. You wouldn’t have that commuting into Boston, believe me.”