WINFIELD TWP - After nearly 28 years sitting at the desk as secretary for the township, Monajean McCracken will have a new vantage point at the next township supervisors meeting this month.

For the first time since January 1977, the longest-tenured township secretary in Butler County will watch the proceedings from the audience.

"It doesn't seem like it's been that long," McCracken said Tuesday at her office on her last official day on the job. "It's been nice but it sure went fast."

McCracken was presented with several gifts after the June 24 supervisors meeting, including earrings from her husband, Tom, and twin plaques from the supervisors.

During the meeting, supervisor Flo Allison left before the end of the meeting. While supervisor Michael Robb was talking, Allison went in the back room at the municipal building and came out with an armful of gifts.

One of the two silver plaques was for McCracken to take home, while the other is hanging inside the municipal building on Brose Road.

"I was shocked when Flo came out with the gifts," McCracken said. "I rarely look up at the audience while the meeting is going on and I thought she had to go to the restroom. That was really nice."

When Allison presented her the gifts and cards, both women had tears in their eyes.

"I will miss working with the people," she said. "Winfield is a small enough municipality where I was able to get close to a lot of people over the years."

Allison, who along with Robb was voted onto the board last January, said McCracken has helped keep Winfield on the right track.

"Both Mike and I came aboard in January, but I have attended the meetings for a long time," Allison said. "Mona has always been the rock. She has over 27 years of knowledge and that is not easy to pass on. She has always kept us directed."

To replace McCracken, the supervisors hired Victoria Schmeider, whom McCracken has been training. Schmeider assumed her position on Thursday.

"These are some big shoes to fill," Schmeider said. "I'll do my best."

McCracken smiled and nodded: "She will do fine. The majority of this job is public relations and dealing with people."

Now that she and her husband are retired, the first item on their agenda is to travel to Arizona to visit one of their three daughters and their 9-year-old granddaughter.

"We love to travel, but we always had to be back in two weeks to go back to work," Monajean said. "This is the first time we can travel with an unlimited schedule."

Tom McCracken, who retired from Allegheny Ludlum two weeks ago, is proud of his wife's longevity at helping to run the township.

"This is a big milestone for her," he said. "She has had the help of a lot of helpful people along the way."

He said one of the times he was most proud of his wife was after the old municipal building burned down in January 1979. She had already completed all the tax forms and payroll for the township, and had to redo them after they were destroyed in the blaze.

"She never missed a payroll, and I still don't know how she got all that done," he said.

Monajean said she and her husband plan to stay in their home in Cabot.

"We thought when we were younger we would move somewhere warmer once we retired," she said. "We don't want to move now."

She said she is proud at how the supervisors have managed to control the growth in the township.

"I know we have grown but I think we are doing a good job controlling it," she said as supervisor Glenn Nagle stuck his head in her office to wish her and Tom good luck on their retirement.

"I look back now and think where did all those years go?"