Palmer administrative assistant will be the longest tenured employee in city history

PALMER — City of Palmer Administrative Assistant Joan Patterson is nearing her 40-year mark. On Jan. 26, she will become the longest tenured employee in the city’s history.

Patterson has donned many roles over the years, working in nearly all the departments except for the police department. She said that her career with the city brings her something new each day, and she enjoys coming to work every day.

“I love this job. I’m very, very lucky. The thing is, I love working for the city and being a part of it, helping my town to grow, and be vibrant and evolve, and all these things you have to do to make a livable city. I love it. Otherwise I wouldn’t have been here for 40 years,” Patterson said.

Patterson is currently the secretary for Palmer Fire and Rescue and the city’s community development department, which covers planning and zoning, building permits, the Palmer Library, Palmer Train Depot, the Palmer Museum and Visitors Center, the Palmer Golf Course, and the MTA Events Center.

“I do a little bit of everything. There’s always something new, something different… A lot of it is customer service. A lot of it is keeping things moving,” Patterson said. “I get to talk to everyone in the known universe too. You wouldn’t believe how many people come in here… Every time I think I’ve heard it all, somebody comes up with something new.

Patterson was 19 years old when she started working for the city. She said that she was hired right after business school, and so much has changed since then. When she first started, she used an electric IBM typewriter. Now 40 years later, she’s working off multiple computer screens and working with the latest codes and developments around town

“There’s been a lot of evolution with the job itself… Everything has evolved. The job evolved. The town has evolved… What people can do, how they do it with the actual codes that we apply. It’s fascinating,” Patterson said.

Patterson said that she’s formed a lot of meaningful relationships with her colleagues over the years, looking back particularly fondly of her first few years on the job.

“It’s a little bit of disbelief… It’s kind of interesting when you say 40 years. That’s a lifetime,” Patterson said. “I’ve had some wonderful people… My firsts were all great. Those guys were probably my favorite... I lucked into a job I love. How many people get to do that?”

Aside from the novelty of doing something different every day and the connections she made with her colleagues, Patterson’s favorite thing about working with the city these last 40 years is the fact that she gets to play a part in the city’s ongoing story.

“It’s being part of the community… I think you’re very lucky if you’re never bored with your job... I can’t imagine any place being as interesting… I don’t want to go higher up in government. I like being on the local level. I like coming to work. I like seeing what’s happening,” Patterson said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com