Karen S. Biel, Magnolia Springs first town clerk has retired after 11 years of service.

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On the day of her final council meeting, a retirement party was thrown for Biel in honor of her service to the town.

Photo by Jessica Vaughn

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MAGNOLIA SPRINGS – After 11 years of serving the town of Magnolia Springs as town clerk, Karen Biel has retired. Prior to Magnolia Springs, Biel worked in the town of Elberta as assistant town clerk for 11 years, meaning she is retiring after 22 years of working within municipalities.

“When we first decided to become a town and went through the process of incorporation and the election of officers, we were like the dog chasing the car,” said Mayor Bob Holk. “We didn’t know what to do!”

During Magnolia Springs earliest days as a town, past Daphne town clerk Rebecca Hayes attended some of the first meetings to help get the town organized, and she as well as Skip Gruber knew just the person to suggest for a permanent position.

When asked if she was interested in becoming town clerk of Magnolia Springs, Biel thought of what an honor it would be to become a town’s very first clerk.

“I was lucky enough to be in on the ground floor of a new municipality,” said Biel. “That was great, and a learning experience, even for me. I worked for Elberta for 11 years, and everything was in place, then I came here and there was nothing in place, so that was a big challenge.”

Biel was ready to tackle it, and took the position and made it her own, even if it was difficult at times.

“She came to work with no office, no desk, no chair, I mean she didn’t even have a pencil,” Holk said. “We were operating out of the Fire Department’s office, so when I say Karen started the town, she literally started the town.”

Long hours and hard work went into shaping an incorporated Magnolia Springs, something that Biel considers to be one of her greatest accomplishments during her time as town clerk. Shaping the town hasn’t slowed things down though.

“I’ve learned that it’s very hard to be a one-woman show,” said Biel. “One employee in this office that runs the whole thing, that is a big challenge. You’d be surprised at how busy this municipality is, being as small as it is!”

Elections are one of the hardest parts of a town clerk’s job, Biel states.

“Elections are a lot of work, but you learn a lot,” Biel said. “It’s a lot of work on the clerks … Remember the clerk runs the election and testifying in court is no party!”

During her time as town clerk, Biel states that the town has mostly stayed the same, which is exactly how the citizens wanted it.

“It’s a nice, quiet community,” Biel said. “Nothing has really changed. They didn’t want it to change when they incorporated, they wanted it to stay just the way it was.”

Now that she’s retiring, Biel plans to spend more time with her family, especially her grandchildren who are always growing too fast. She’s very grateful to be able to retire without worrying about what she’s leaving behind, as the Magnolia Springs council has appointed Jenny Opal White as her replacement.

“One of my biggest concerns was leaving the job and that there wouldn’t be somebody in my place,” said Biel. “I’m grateful to the council as they’ve hired someone who has made this an easy transition. Jenny has been doing an amazingly good job, she’s going to be a great replacement, so I have no worries when I leave.”

White officially started her position as Magnolia Springs town clerk on March 5, and Biel is thankful to the council and the community for making her retirement easier. Even still, Biel will be greatly missed by the town and its officials.

“Over the years we’ve really depended on Karen’s expertise, her knowledge of town government, her relationships with public officials, and her relationship with other town clerks,” said Holk. “I think we all really have a debt to Karen for what she’s done for the town, and I know each one of us who have served as officers over the years certainly appreciate and saw the work and everything that she’s done.”

Biel stated that her time spent in Magnolia Springs was, while not always easy, filled with good memories and achievements, and she is grateful to have been Magnolia Springs very first town clerk.

“I would like to thank all the councilmembers, in the past and the present, for the opportunity for this position,” said Biel. “And I’m thankful for all the friends that I’ve made from Magnolia Springs, and I hope that we all keep in touch.”