Teresa Cristena (Cris) Roberts retires after 32 years of public service

LENOX – How does one say goodbye to a worker, who has given much of her time for the improvements of the town on one hand and on the other, was not afraid to challenge her bosses – the selectmen and town manager.

Teresa Cristena (Cris) Roberts, the town’s administrative assessor, never saw her role as the Lenox Town Hall observer. Yet as changes occurred, she was the go-to-person in town hall.

Jim Sorrentino, chairman of the board of assessors, paid her homage for the work she did and the time committed over the years.

“Cris has been an intricate part of the town of Lenox Assessors Office for over 32 years,” he said on behalf the board, which includes Scott Pignatelli and Wayne Lemanski. “She has brought the office from pencil and paper into 21st century technology.

“Her knowledge of the office and customer-friendly personality will be missed. We wish her the best in her retirement.”

As she said, she never thought she would be working in town hall. But one day, she said, “Someone would call with 1) a job, 2) it will be in walking distance of my home, and 3) it will be one of enjoyment.

“So one day the phone rang: A) Someone called. B) It was notice that there was a job in town hall, which was walking distance from my house on 17 Willow Ln. C) And it was that someone would need me and it proved to be enjoyable.”

Directly or indirectly, it was the late Fire Chief Edward “Cap” Conklin who offered her the job as the town’s administrative assessor. Mrs. Roberts said that not only was Cap her mentor, but a good and close friend, who taught her the ABCs of the job in learning about assessments, revaluations, updates, issues on real estate and examining personal property along with overseeing excise taxes statements and abatements.

Chief Conklin for many years held court in the assessor’s office as he awaited the alarm at the fire station. Various elected and appointed officials would stop by daily to share information or inquire about a specific project.

He served Lenox as fire chief for many years. Mr. Conklin and his board of assessors hired an outside agency (Paul S. Kapinos Associates of South Hadley) to perform the valuations.

If a homeowner did not agree, he/she could file an abatement (appeal) to the board. Many times the issue was settled at the hearing level before it moved on to the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board.

The board is a quasi-judicial state agency designed to conduct hearings and render decisions on appeals of all types of state and local taxes, including property tax (both real estate and personal property), corporate excise, individual income tax, sales and use tax, and automobile and other excises.

The Appellate Tax Board is committed to maintaining an appeal process which is fair, understandable and accessible to all litigants, including pro se taxpayers, and which resolves tax appeals in an expeditious fashion.

After Mr. Conklin came Jim Kincaid, a local insurance salesman who headed up the board and also helped oversee the office, making sure Mrs. Roberts attended necessary classes.

Paul Kapinos and company did the annual updates and total revaluation, along with field work for the board as real estate appraisers.

It takes friendships and politics out of the mix, according to one observer, who noted the company gets their work done timely.

Mrs. Roberts chose Friday, June 28 as her last day.

Cleaning out her desk, grabbing some favorite items and helping Denene Pelkey of the building inspector’s office move into the part-time 30 hours-a-week job was part of the last day’s schedule.

There are several hurdles to learn, but with time Ms. Pelkey will learn them, Ms. Roberts said.

The good news: Mrs. Roberts will be a phone call away for most of the summer. Friday was also the day of celebration and remembrance to a dedicated public servant, according to Diana Kirby, town collector.

As Ms. Kirby noted: “We did not get the memo from Cris not to have a party.

“After 32 years, a lot of conversation, many laughs, a few issues why not honor our friend, who has been loyal to Lenox as well as her co-workers. She is leaving without issue, on her own terms and still young enough to enjoy her family, travel and then think about any activity that she may wish to become involved.”

Over the years, Mrs. Roberts has not been on the same page as elected officials. She has raised issues, spoken out at town meetings and never remained quiet where she thought public honor or the public good was at stake.

She always has a smile, a welcome thought.

She has risen above the death of her late husband, Dave, and her son, David Michael (Mike) Roberts of Boston.

A retirement celebration was held this weekend at her house for her son, Steve, daughter, Julie and their families to help celebrate a time of public service.

Posted by George C. Jordan III on July 5, 2013. Filed under Community News,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry