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The Windsor Town Council voted 6-0 on Dec. 12 to offer the position of town clerk to Kelly Kuhns, who accepted and officially started Dec. 18, giving her about two weeks to learn under her retiring predecessor, Terry Whitehead.

The Town Council completed its process of interviewing town clerk candidates, and Windsor Town Manager William Saunders introduced the final step in the hiring process to council members during their Dec. 12 meeting.

“I put a late item on the dais for you all — offer of employment for town clerk,” he said. “In regard to the search for a town clerk to fill the position being vacated by the retirement of Terry Whitehead, I recommend extending the offer of employment to Ms. Kelly Kuhns.”

He noted that at that time, Kuhns was the emergency communications manager in Surry County and had worked for the county for the last 10 years.

“We believe that Ms. Kuhns has the requisite skills, education and experience to fulfill the duties of town clerk and be a beneficial addition to the town staff,” Saunders said.

In an interview on Wednesday, Dec. 27, at Windsor Town Hall, Kuhns explained why she applied for the position.

“I was looking for a slowdown,” she said. “Emergency communications is a very stressful job and very demanding, and I was looking for something a little bit more family oriented where I could use my current skills in a different capacity.”

Kuhns was previously a 911 dispatcher in Surry County. Then she was promoted to emergency communications manager, a role which she said helped hone skills that the Windsor town clerk position requires, like dealing with money, taking meeting minutes, organizing and managing files, taking care of vendors, keeping and paying contracts and more.

She said she was thrilled when she learned that the Windsor Town Council had hired her for the role.

“I was really looking forward to making a transition into something a little bit more fitting for my current needs, having a family and things like that,” she said. “So I was very thrilled to have the opportunity to come and work in this organization.”

Kuhns has already been living in Isle of Wight County, so the new job will not require her and her family to move.

Since Dec. 18, she has been shadowing Whitehead to help orient her to the job’s duties.

“It’s been going great,” Kuhns said. “There’s a lot to learn, and I’m not ready for her to leave yet, but I think she’s getting me in the right direction to where we’ll have a good starting run on everything.”

Whitehead’s last day at Town Hall was Friday, Dec. 29. Windsor Treasurer Cheryl McClanahan and Assistant Treasurer Jeannie Lowe will continue to help Kuhns get acclimated in January.