At Wednesday’s city council meeting, Southgate treasurer Terri Franklin, who had served for nine years, officially retired. Mayor Jim Hamberg wished Franklin well and ushered in new treasurer Patty Edgley.
“Thanks for doing what you’ve done and stopping me whenever I needed it, or smacking the back of the head when I needed it at that particular time to keep me in line and us in line, too,” Hamberg said to Franklin.
Franklin’s moving to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, but reflected on her time living and working in Southgate.
“It’s a great city to work for and work with,” she told LINK. “We’ve got some really dedicated council members, mayor, and staff. They really work together in terms of making the budget work and doing as much as we can with the resources that we have. It’s been a nice place to work. I’m going to miss seeing everybody.”
Franklin worked as a CPA and did audits of cities for about 20 years. She was a part-time finance director and did accounting for other cities and nonprofits.
Edgley said she has “very big shoes to fill.” Previously, she was finance director for Newport Housing, and currently, she works at a CPA firm auditing.
“I followed Terri on a couple of my audits,” Edgley told LINK. “She does great work, and I’ve already seen the dedication of the council and the mayor. They have a real heart for doing what’s best for the city.”
When Franklin considered who could replace her, Edgely came to mind.
“I started thinking about people who I knew had a background in governmental accounting because it’s a niche that has very particular accounting rules,” she said. “Either you understand it, you’re experienced in it, or you’re not. Patty was at the top of the list of who we reached out to, and it was a good fit for her.”
Edgley said her first city council meeting as treasurer went well.
“I like how council all takes a role when they’re in charge of their part, so it’s very interactive in that way.”