By EJ Conzola II

Longtime Whitehall Village Clerk/Treasurer Stephanie LaChapelle has informed the Village Board she plans to retire in September.

“Whoever takes her place will have some big shoes to fill,” said Mayor Julie Eagan. “She’s the best, the absolute best.”

LaChapelle has worked for the village for 36 years and served as the clerk\treasurer for more than two decades. Her institutional knowledge and near-instantaneous recall of facts regarding just about all aspects of village government has been invaluable, Eagan said.

“I could not have done this job without her,” the mayor said.

The pending vacancy will be advertised regionally and the Village Board will form a committee to interview applicants, Eagan said. The village hopes to find a successor to LaChapelle quickly so LaChapelle can help train that person in the intricacies of the job before she retires, Eagan said.

LaChapelle’s deputy, Julie VanGuilder, has said she is not interested in taking on the additional responsibilities of the clerk/treasurer job, Eagan said.

Together, LaChapelle and VanGuilder perform many important tasks for the village, including collecting and processing property tax and water and sewer payments, overseeing the numerous grants the village has received and answering questions from taxpayers who stop into the village office on Skenesborough Drive, the mayor noted.

“They just do everything,” she said.

LaChapelle has also volunteered to return to help out whenever the village needs her even after she steps down, the mayor added.

“She really cares about the village,” Eagan said.

The quiet, soft-spoken LaChapelle confirmed her plans but declined to comment further, saying – despite her many interactions with the public – she was not comfortable with being in the public eye.