Cornwall Deputy Town Clerk Cecilia (you likely know her as Ceil) Iovine retired on September 10 after 24 years on the job. She had a plan for her new life – on day one, she planned to spend some time baking for some parties she had to attend over the weekend. On day two, she said last week, she figured she’d start preparing for an upcoming trip to Maine.

Then on day three … well, she was going to start thinking about what additional hobbies she’d like to add to her new lifestyle.

“I don’t have too many,” she laughs, adding that she knows keeping busy is the key to a happy retirement. Of course, she has her kids and grandkids, she and her husband love to travel and have several trips planned, and she’s looking forward to having time daily to do things like prepare some new and enticing dinner recipes. She’s also well aware that she’s going to have to transition to a home where her husband is already retired and expects there may be some minor conflict about whose space is whose.

One could make an educated guess that she’ll adjust quickly in that last thing though. If you know where her small office is in Town Hall – second floor, with two desks and two other people right now – you’ll know she’s adept at sharing her space.

That’s what’s made Iovine such a good fit in Town Hall, Town Clerk Jenn McCormick says – she’s always just fit right in, working well with whomever is in her office, and whomever comes in from the public.

She started her employment with the town almost 24 years ago, in what was supposed to be a two-month temporary job, filling in for someone out on leave. Elaine Tilford Schneer was the town clerk at the time, and it was Supervisor Jim Sollami who asked her to help out. When that person didn’t come back, she stayed.

“I came aboard for what was supposed to be a two-month assignment,” Iovine wrote in her letter of retirement to the Town Board. “Clearly, plans changed! During that time, I have worked with three town clerks, five supervisors of different parties, and wonderfully supportive co-workers. I’ve learned so much about local government and have grown both professionally and personally. I appreciate all of your trust and support over the years.”

The other supervisors she worked with are Richard Randazzo (“several times”), Kevin Quigley, Randy Clark and current Supervisor Josh Wojehowski.

“I think I worked well with all of them,” she says, “all different political parties, but I treated them all the same – I worked hard and did the job.”

While her approach has been the same, the job has changed through the two-plus decades she’s been in Town Hall. Years ago more people came into Town Hall to file or receive documents – much of that is done via email or the town’s website these days. “There is lots more computer work now,” Iovine said, “and while we still see some people, it’s not nearly as many.” (She notes, however, that there is still a typewriter in the clerk’s office, and they do still use it on occasion!)

The computer work might be considered a downfall of the job, she says, because she’s always enjoyed the public interaction. “That was one of the nicest things about this job, I got to interact with the public, but I was never trying to sell them anything, like in some retail jobs.

“We have a motto in our office – ‘Try to find a way to say yes’ – and we’re usually able to do it,” she says. “And my coworkers have always been friendly and professional, but we have fun too. I can tell you that they often go above and beyond.”

Something she hasn’t enjoyed one bit, and absolutely will not miss? Processing Freedom of Information Act requests. They’ve intensified in recent years, and privately (although she’s willing to make it public as her final day draws near) calls them “the four-letter F word”!

As the board accepted her resignation in early August, Wojehowski called her “the town’s right hand” and, speaking for the Town Board, said they hated to lose her. One of the longest-tenured town employees, he encouraged her current fellow employees in the clerk’s office to “soak up as much as possible” from her in the weeks leading up to her retirement.

McCormick came up through the ranks sitting right beside Iovine, and says she learned “everything” from her. After Iovine’s first boss, Tilford Schneer, the clerk was Renata McGee, and McCormick has held the elected position since 2021. She isn’t looking forward to Iovine’s retirement.

“She is irreplaceable, an incredible friend, and the best co-worker,” McCormick said, noting they have sat right next to each other every day since 2017. “We genuinely like each other. She will be missed tremendously.”

But, McCormick and her current deputy clerk Leandra Gallager, and second deputy clerk Janel Stong, have spent the last month or so making sure they’re ready to handle it all once Iovine has retired. “We will be calling her,” she said, “in her letter of resignation, she said we could!”