By JAMES MITCHELL
Sunday Times Newspapers
TRENTON – It was inevitable, a formality necessary before the November general election, but City Clerk Kyle Stack’s announcement Monday of her retirement after 26 years of service still took an emotional toll.
“It was with happiness but sadness I had to submit my retirement,” Stack said last week. Her final day in office, Sept. 30, allows a 30-day window prior to the November general election that pits Stack against Mayor Gerald Brown for the city’s top elected seat.
“Working for the city I’ve met a lot of wonderful people who have become friends,” Stack said. “It’s just one of those things that … you just know when it’s time to go.”
Stack made the decision to end her quarter-century tenure as clerk earlier this year, when Brown expressed a reluctance to seek another term in office. While investigating the legality and pension aspects of her mayoral bid, Brown reconsidered and the two became amicable opponents.
The primary election of Aug. 2 moved Stack and Brown forward to November, topping the ballots ahead of challenger Steven McNeeley, and Stack knew it was time to make her departure from the clerk’s office official.
It was expected that a temporary replacement will be named by the council at its next meeting, Sept. 6. The likely candidate is Deputy Clerk Trish Gearhart, who is running unopposed in the general election for the position.
(James Mitchell can be reached at [email protected].)