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OUC Retirees Serve
Community by Working ORLANDO – After long careers helping to keep electric and water service flowing in Orlando, a dedicated band of retired OUC employees, spouses and friends have found a unique way to continue giving back to their community. Though the days are long and the pay modest, the personal satisfaction it brings is priceless.
Meet the nine poll workers of Precinct 543 – a polling location staffed by retired OUC workers. Just one of Orange County’s 263 precincts, the poll at Harry P. Leu Gardens and its 1,610 registered voters have been “adopted” by OUC. Although the Nov. 2 presidential election saw a record number of Americans vote, OUC’s retirees were ready. The precinct runs so smoothly that Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles recommended Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood work a few hours there for the Aug. 31 primary to see how well the election process was working. “Our OUC poll workers are among the hardest working and most reliable we have,” said Cowles, who introduced the program where local businesses sponsor polling locations. “From working the contested 2000 election, statewide and local races and primaries, this OUC group has consistently been among our finest.” As part of the program, OUC pays its poll workers $125 a day. Retiree Connie Cook was a community volunteer as an OUC employee and said working at the polls is a way to stay involved. “It’s fun and I enjoy it,” she said. “And now many voters have become familiar faces.” The job begins long before the polls open at 7 a.m. on Election Day. Poll workers must attend a training session at the Supervisor of Elections headquarters before each election. The refresher course covers everything from proper voting procedures to courteousness to voters. To avoid any last minute surprises, the team readies the poll for voters on the afternoon before the election. Voting booths must be set up and arranged, equipment checked and signs and posters readied. The actual ballots are kept under lock and key until Tuesday morning. On Election Day, poll workers arrive at 6 a.m. and everything must be in place so the poll can open on time at 7. Poll tabulator/inspector Roy Perrow – husband of recent OUC retiree Betty Perrow – remembers how late poll openings in some polls led Governor Jeb Bush to extend voting hours in 2000. Prior to Tuesday’s election, no one wanted a repeat of that.
Ensuring voting goes well at Precinct 543 is the responsibility of poll clerk Carolyn Carver, a former senior accountant at OUC. She attended a meeting with other retirees four years ago when OUC proposed adopting a polling place. “The first time was scary but we got through it,” Carver said. Now that they are poll-working veterans, she said, they enjoy the excitement. Her team of fellow retirees include: Roy Perrow, former administrative assistants Betty Slack and Cook, computer operator Libby Belcher, water plant technician Gary Shaw, programmer George Estep and his wife Aurora. Jessica Bress, a friend of Carver’s and a retired ATT employee who took the day off from a second career in banking, completes the team. “The efforts of our OUC retirees never cease to amaze me,” said Ken Ksionek, OUC General Manager and CEO. “The work done by the team at Precinct 543 is a perfect example of OUC’s philosophy of giving back to our community.” Roy Perrow is responsible for ensuring ballots are fed properly into the optical reader. He’s been a member of the team since it was formed in 2000. Tuesday evening as the crew began to pack after the poll had closed, Perrow reminded everyone this would be the last election he worked.
“That means we will be recruiting again,” Carver said. The no-nonsense work requires dedication and strict attention to detail. Serious candidates need only apply to be on Carver’s team. More than 83 percent of the precinct’s registered voters cast ballots in this election, with 510 doing so through early voting or absentee ballot. The remaining 840 voters who cast ballots in person Tuesday caused backups at times, but Carver was unflappable. “We love to be busy,” she said. Said Cook of voters: “Even after waiting in line for up to 90 minutes they were smiling when they finally got their chance to vote.” |
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