Walworth County Clerk Kim Bushey, who has been in the position for 25 years, announced her retirement last week.
Bushey’s letter of resignation was forwarded from the Walworth County Board of Supervisors Feb. 8 to the executive committee, which was set to meet Monday night to discuss the impending vacancy.
“It’s a new chapter,” said Bushey. “I’m looking forward to the next chapter. It’s just the right time.”
She added that there are good people in her office and a solid transition plan in place.
Bushey was first elected in November of 1996, and has overseen a number of changes in her time. Among them was the county’s change from four separate voting systems to a single, countywide system.
The first change happened in 2001, and the system has been upgraded since then.
“We were on punch-card paper and two optical scanning systems,” Bushey said. “And they were two different companies. Really, it was a matter of gathering information and developing lines of communications with the municipal clerks.
“The then-sitting county board recognized the need,” Bushey added. “And fully funded that decision.”
The new equipment came in about a week after the Bush vs. Gore presidential election of 2000. Because of the challenges of that election, Walworth was eventually able to recoup some of the costs of the new voting equipment by applying for grants.
The county clerk’s office was also part of a handful of statewide recounts of a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice election in 2011 as well as the presidential race of 2016 – a recount that covered the state of Wisconsin.
“It’s stressful,” Bushey said. “It’s diving really deep into the detail of the election. It’s the report of the election at the municipal level.”
She said that the county found that the municipal polls and poll workers had “done their best” during the two different elections that were recounted.
“In both of those recounts, the changes that were found were really minimal and were generally tied back to a human and how they may have marked their ballot,” Bushey said.
Looking at retirement, she said is looking forward to traveling and “getting back to hobbies I’ve lost along the way,” Bushey said.
“It’s a way to make certain I make the most of my time with my family,” she added. “That’s a big priority for me.
“I’ve got people in my life and I want to make sure I go out and enjoy the next chapter.”
Walworth County Administrator Mark Luberda praised the dedication Bushey has for her job.
“Walworth County is extremely fortunate to have benefited from Kimberly’s professionalism, dedication and knowledge these past 25 years,” Luberda said. “I have learned a great deal from her and she will be greatly missed.”
Bushey’s retirement is effective April 2.
