North Country This Week

POTSDAM — After 31 years, with a lion’s share serving as village clerk, Lori Queor is retiring at the end of August.

Queor and her husband Bob plan to relocate to Tennessee once her retirement begins and spend time gardening and living a more calm, relaxed life. Until then she is on hand to assist incoming village clerk Georgine Scott, but has been using some of her accrued vacation time this summer.

“I’ve never had a summer off really. Summer here in the village is traditionally tax season,” Queor said with a smile.

It’s much-earned time off for the outgoing clerk who has been busy working in public service for decades now.

Queor started with the village on May 4, 1992 in the code enforcement and planning office and worked her way up from the basement to serve the village and the taxpayers in a variety of capacities.

“I started downstairs in the planning department as a keyboard specialist,” Queor said. “I’ve worked with some great people over the years.”

When the clerk’s position was available after the previous clerk retired, Queor applied, was hired and started Jan. 14, 2002.

In October 2010, Queor took on the extra responsibilities of the village treasurer, in addition to the clerk job, after the previous treasurer retired, and saved the village money by filling both posts for years.

“It was not a difficult job, I’m good with numbers, but it was a tremendous amount of work. I got it done and did it for eight years,” she said.

When the registrar retired, the village board separated the clerk and treasurer positions and hired Queor as clerk-registrar instead on June 1, 2021.

“I’ve loved the job, and loved the people,” she said. “But thirty-one years, it’s a lot. I was getting burnt out.’

There have been many changes in the community and the clerk’s office over the years, along with many memories for the outgoing clerk.

Queor served with three mayors over her tenure, Bill Lawson, Ruth Garner and current mayor Ron Tischler.

She shared a special connection with Garner and remembers her fondly.

“I learned more from that woman in the years I was here than anyone ever. She was like a second mother for me. She was just amazing,” Queor said. “She did a lot for paving the way for females really. I miss her so much.”

“It was one of the best things in my 31 years here, was my connection with her.”

As she looks back over the years, the long-time clerk said the village receiving the state Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding, and the construction of the Hampton and other commercial development and growth in the village have been great to see. She said she is always surprised to see how quickly real estate sells in the village, as professional people relocate here for the amenities offered in the small, but busy community.

Queor said one of the big challenges facing the village in coming years will be its hydro plants.

“The toughest thing is going to be getting those hydro plants where they need to be,” she said.

“The board and the administration have always done the best they can,” she said. And, Queor said she expects the village to continue to grow in coming years. “I think you are still going to see a lot of improvements.”

Some other changes she has seen over the years at the clerk’s office is an increase in the amount of birth and death certificates processed after several changes in the regional healthcare scene which led to Canton-Potsdam Hospital taking on a larger portion of that traffic.

“We went from a 1-inch to a 3-inch binder. We handled about 600 or 700 a year,” Queor said.

The clerk said one of the more difficult times on the job was during the COVID pandemic when the village offices had to switch to working remotely, losing that direct interaction with the taxpayers.

“I did not like working from home,” she said. “It was horrible.”

The clerk also recalls the weirdest thing she ever dealt with on the job. “I remember a gentleman who came in to have me notarize a document for him,” Queor said, who also served as Notary Public at the municipal offices.

“He proceeds to tell me that he is going to Florida for an exorcism and he needed to have a hold harmless medical release on himself notarized.”

“That’s probably the weirdest thing I remember. I often wondered ‘Is that man okay?’” she said. “That stuck with me.”

Queor credited her family, husband Bob, daughter Ashlinn, 23, who lives locally, and son Nicholas, 29, who lives in Washington, with their support during her career. “There have been many meetings, and night meetings. They were always very understanding.”

“I’m extremely thankful to the taxpayers for all that they have given me,” she said. “Not many can say they are 55 with a 31-year career in public service. It’s hard to walk away from, but I was burnt out. Those years as clerk/treasurer were intense.”

Queor said she took the responsibility of serving as treasurer of taxpayer money very seriously. “I always looked for savings. Every penny was accounted for. To the penny. But that’s always stressful.”

She feels that she leaves the village offices in good hands with the crew there now. “They are going to do a great job, I have no doubt,” she said.

“That’s the thing I’m going to miss the most is interacting with the taxpayers. There are some amazing people in the village of Potsdam,” said Queor.