For 16 years, Michelle Howke was on the front line of answering phone calls to Whitefish City Hall, providing a steady voice of calm whether the caller was friendly or frazzled.

The job had its trying moments, she admitted.

“Usually when people call the city, they’re not very happy,” Howke said. “By Friday it can take its toll.

“We try to do the best we can. We try to get people to understand we’re there to help them.”

Howke recently took on a new challenge at City Hall, stepping into the city clerk and administrative services director position vacated by Necile Lorang, who retired earlier this year.

“It’s been a pretty good transition,” Howke said. “It’s a different type of busy. As the customer service person I had a routine for every day. Creating a new routine has been a challenge.”

As city clerk, Howke is now the keeper of city records and the conduit through which thousands of details flow into orderly minutes and files.

Whitefish City Manager Chuck Stearns said Howke “has stepped in very well.

“Anytime an organization loses an employee like Necile Lorang, who had 29 years of experience with the city, you lose a lot of institutional and community knowledge,” Stearns said. “Fortunately Michelle grew up in Whitefish, her mother and father have both worked for the city of Whitefish and she has worked here 16 years.

“Michelle is well-known and respected in the community and that has helped her transition as well,” Stearns said, noting that some of her best skills are knowledge of the community and city policies and practices. She also knows which employees are responsible for what areas, he added.

“She spent many years referring telephone calls and visits by people to the right city employee, so that knowledge helps her in her role,” Stearns said. “Also, one of Michelle’s attributes is that she enjoys learning new things, does well with technology changes and computer programs, and she is always looking to improve procedures and operations.”

Taking minutes at the Whitefish City Council meetings is among her many duties, but it’s one Howke thoroughly enjoys.

“It’s interesting how the council works through different problems and how they work together as a team,” she said.

Operating at the interim City Hall, with most city departments packed into an office building on Baker Avenue, has created its own set of challenges. The city will work out of its compact quarters until the new City Hall and parking structure are completed next year.

“I like working for the city,” she said. “It’s rewarding to watch it grow.”

Her mother, Marlene Clayton, held the same customer service position at City Hall while Howke was in school.

Howke said she learned her customer service skills at DePratu Ford in Whitefish, where she worked part time while in high school. Working at Show-to-Go Video for four years after high school furthered her customer service finesse.

A Whitefish native, Howke described herself as “a quiet person” while attending Whitefish High School. She graduated in 1996 and has spent her entire life in her hometown.

There have been growing pains for the city in recent years, she acknowledged, but that growth is also exciting to her.

“You have to accept change,” she said. “It happens whether it’s in daily life” or in the growth of a city.

Howke has been a fixture at the Whitefish Relay for Life event for many years. She got involved when her longtime boyfriend’s uncle survived cancer and participated in the annual walk.

“I just remember seeing how happy he was,” she recalled. “It grabbed me. Relay was a way for me to help.”

Howke served as chairwoman of the entire Relay for Life event in Whitefish for three years, and chaired committees for entertainment, activities and the food through the years. She also was a council member on the state level for Relay for Life, a national fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

Her volunteer efforts turn up other places in Whitefish, too, such as the annual Clean the Fish event. Two years ago she helped rebuild strings of Christmas lights for the city’s traditional downtown decor.

“It’s good for the community,” Howke said of volunteering. “You put your pride back into where you live.”

Howke bowls with a mixed league during the winter months and golfs in the summer. She attempted downhill skiing at one point, but said “it didn’t work out.”

A childhood friend has been encouraging Howke to take up hiking, so there’s a good chance Whitefish folks will see how out on the trail during her time away from City Hall.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.