By Dale M. King
BOCA RATON – It hasn’t been unusual to find Sharma Hagerty in the Council Chambers at Boca Raton City Hall.
She was the keeper of the Boca Raton City Council records for 10 years before retiring last September.
She was sitting at the back of the chamber Tuesday night, anticipating a surprise presentation for a member of her former staff when Mayor Susan Whelchel stepped to the podium and introduced two women who serve as village clerks at Palm Springs and Tequesta.
It didn’t take long for Hagerty to realize the surprise was on her. Boca’s former longtime city clerk was being honored with a resolution from the Florida Association of City Clerks.
“It’s nice to be appreciated,” Hagerty told the audience after she recovered from the surprise. She received the resolution from Lori McWilliams, village clerk in Tequesta and Virginia Walton, village clerk in Palm Springs and president of the Palm Beach County Municipal Clerks Association.
The resolution says “Sharma performed the duties and responsibilities of the city clerk with professionalism, utilizing and sharing her knowledge and expertise, much of which was enhanced by participating in conferences and educational seminars by the Florida Association of City Clerks.”
Hagerty began her service with the city in 1991 as a board coordinator, rising through the ranks to become city clerk in 1999.
“I enjoyed my time” working for the city, she said, adding that it was the patience and understanding of her husband, Bob, which helped. “He had to put up with a lot,” she said.
Bob Hagerty is no stranger to City Hall either, having been a longtime member and chairman of the Planning and Zoning Board.