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Posted: March 30, 2007
 It was with great anticipation the night of April 27,1881 when the Plano City Council moved into their new offices into the back room of Kellner’s saddlery shop, located on the west side of Main Street, adjacent a bustling downtown. The rich smells of saddle soap and freshly tanned leather were complemented by the occasional sounds of a wagon passing down the dusty road and the muted talk of persons passing by the open windows.
As the sounds of chairs scraping across the wooden floors wafted across the room Mayor C.J. Kellner leaned across the table to T. R. Keene, the elected City Secretary, instructing him to purchase the books necessary for his use and that of the Mayor. The only other business conducted at the meeting that night was to instruct a railroad agent to repair a railroad crossing on Mechanic Street.
It is from Mr. Keene and those who followed in his footsteps as Plano City Secretary that the history of our City is brought to life. While our citizens have been the heart and lifeblood of our community, it is our city secretaries who have provided Plano its memory through over a century of fastidious recordings of municipal meetings.
Our City’s memory reflects on a time when mules weren’t allowed on public sidewalks, the prohibition of Sunday “dances at disorderly houses” and pistols being fired on a public street or alley. It recalls when horses were granted right-of-way over automobiles and the outcry when the owners of chickens, ducks and turkeys were banned from allowing them to run free on Plano streets.
The very evolution of our All-America City of Plano from the feisty farm town of the 1880’s to the internationally–recognized cosmopolitan destination of today can be gleaned through the records of our municipal government, thanks to the dedication and professionalism of those persons who have held the title “Plano City Secretary.”
For the past eleven years Ms. Elaine Bealke has served the citizens of Plano and the general public as Plano’s City Secretary. After twenty-two years total service to the City of Plano, she steps down today, March 30, 2007, passing pen and parchment to former Assistant City Secretary Di Zucco, who will become the City’s new Plano City Secretary.
Ms. Bealke initially began her tenure with the City in February 1985 as a part-time employee in the Facilities and Fleet Department. She moved into a full-time position in March 1987 and in 1991 relocated from the City’s Parkway Service Center to Municipal Center to work under the Division Manager of the Facilities and Fleet Department.
In May 1993 Ms. Bealke made the move that became the foot print of her career, joining the City Secretary’s Office as Administrative Secretary. In November 1994 she assumed the position of Assistant City Secretary, becoming City Secretary in August 1996.
“Elaine’s exemplary demonstration of loyalty, professionalism, dedication and unbridled commitment to the City of Plano makes her an invaluable asset to our City,” read Plano Mayor Pat Evans during a Proclamation honoring her at the March 26, 2007 City Council Meeting. “Her knowledge of the City’s history, her work ethics and her ability to work well with everyone she meets makes her the epitome of the perfect employee.”
“My first year in the City Secretary Department was the last year that Plano conducted their own election before turning it over to Collin County,” Ms. Bealke advised, reflecting on her first days with the Department. “My recollection on election day evening seeing those poll workers come into the Municipal Center with their ballot boxes made me question what on earth was I doing! I still say it!”
“Scary as it was, I was experiencing history,” she continued. “It may have been small history, but history nevertheless! With each ordinance and resolution being adopted and Council or citizen discussion being held on the floor of the Council Chambers I was given the opportunity to view history firsthand. This I have truly valued.”
Ms. Bealke has served as City Secretary under four Plano Mayors. “My first Mayor to serve under was James Muns, an eloquent speaker and a true gentleman. He was followed by John Longstreet, who spoke from the heart. Jeran Akers came up with the House Rules as a way to treat and respect one another. And finally, our current Mayor Pat Evans, who I have served with and worked with the longest. She is a dedicated and accomplished Mayor and a lovely human being. It has been my pleasure to serve and work with all these Mayors and all the elected officials during these years.”
In addition to being presented with a Proclamation declaring March 30, 2007 as Elaine Bealke Day in Plano, Ms. Bealke also received from City Manager Tom Muehlenbeck her twenty year recognition pin and certificate at the March 26 City Council meeting. Although she has worked for the City since 1985, her first two years were part-time “and don’t count,” she joked.
“Ms. Bealke has been our Plano City Secretary, a very important position with the City, for a number of years. The Mayor and Council and Administration all want the record to reflect how very much we have appreciated you. If there is a person who has a love for this City, it is Elaine Bealke,” said Mr. Muehlenbeck.
In addition to posting and publishing agendas for all City Council meetings, the position includes responsibility for compiling written minutes of the official meetings, posting all legal notices and coordinating the codifications of City ordinances into the City Code of Ordinances. “Elaine’s love for her position and this City is apparent in her uncompromised allegiance to preserving its integrity in each and every duty she performs as Secretary,” said Mayor Evans.
Over the course of her term as City Secretary, Ms. Bealke attended hundreds of City Council regular and special called meetings. “The shortest meeting was five minutes and the longest ended at 2:00am in the morning, which would have been about a nine hour meeting!” she said.
Ms. Bealke has been a respected and admired professional throughout her tenure with the City of Plano, working with literally every department and interacting with hundreds of citizens. Her immediate co-workers have deemed it a privilege to have worked with her, recounting not only her strong level of professionalism but the personal memories as well. “Memories of our work and department goals reached successfully will gradually fade in the years to come, but sharing many years of birthdays, parenting experiences, weddings, births and even television programs and our love for women’s fashions will always be remembered,” said Ms. Sharon Kotwitz, Senior Administrative Assistant. “Elaine has been a teacher and mentor to me offering positive feedback and guidance along the way,” said Plano’s new City Secretary Di Zucco. “It sure won’t be the same around here without her.”
“I have valued the people and it is them that I will miss,” advised Ms. Bealke. “The wonderful, irreplaceable people. They become second family and although not every day is smooth sailing, just like at home, they are your family. Time and time again I have heard the elected officials praise the employees of the City of Plano when being complemented for a job well done, saying that the credit is due the employee.”
Upon her retirement, Ms. Bealke says her feet are definitely going up for awhile. “But after a little while I most likely will be doing something else, but at a much more leisurely pace. I have a trip to New York planned and possibly another over the summer to Alaska.”
Ms. Bealke was earlier in the month celebrated by her friends through a special luncheon and the presentation of a water colour painting of the gazebo in Haggard Park. “We know how much you love the City of Plano,” said Executive Administrative Assistant Sharon Wright in presenting the framed picture. “We couldn’t think of anything you might enjoy more than having a piece of Plano to take home with you.”
Don’t be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or a lifetime, is certain for those who are friends.
Richard Bach
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