Maria Edwards, clerk to the Bladen County Board of Commissioners, has been named the Annie Kohnen Regional Clerk of the Year by the Lumber River Council of Government. She was recognized recently during the annual meeting of the membership of the Council of Government. The meeting was originally planned for October but had to be rescheduled due to Hurricane Matthew and its aftermath.
“I didn’t know they had applied for me. It was a complete surprise,” said Edwards.
She said as the presenter was reading the information submitted and made a remark about the county attorney, Edwards siad she realized they were talking about her. Edwards said she had no idea that County Manager Greg Martin and Lisa Coleman had submitted a nomination on her behalf.
“I was humbled. Being appreciated means so much,” said Edwards of the recognition.
Edwards has served as clerk to the Bladen Board of Commissioners for about three years. She assumed that role when the Human Resources Director left and the Human Resources Administrative Assistant retired. According to the LRCOG Report, Edwards recently the county by searching for insurance information from the 1970s. Several individuals had already searched for the information and could not locate it but Edwards thought of another source where it might be and thereby located the information saving time and money, according to the report from the LRCOG.
The award was named for Annie Kohnen who served as longtime clerk to the Scotland County Board of Commissioners. It was created in 1994 to recognize and honor clerks who exemplify a dedication to public service as displayed by Kohnen, reads the report.
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