Dalton Gardens City Hall remains open

After a contentious employee dispute that nearly led its City Hall to a de facto shutdown, Dalton Gardens’ City Hall was open for business on Tuesday.

“I am the new clerk/treasurer,” Teresa Janzen told The Press Tuesday afternoon.

Janzen was one of a number of employees to recently tender her resignation as deputy clerk, along with the city’s attorney, planner and code enforcement officer.

As the last administrative employee in the building, Janzen’s resignation meant no one would have been available to manage the day-to-day operations, including unlocking the front door and turning on the lights.

Janzen, who had reportedly been fulfilling most of the duties of the since-retired clerk, took center stage in recent weeks, as her impending exodus shone a light on the rift between Dalton Gardens employees and their city council.

Mayor Dan Edwards told The Press that many employees expressed an adversarial relationship with council that bordered on hostile.

The rift came to a head on May 24, when nearly 300 citizens came to the City Council meeting to voice their concerns over the dysfunction, call for resignations and express disappointment in the city’s inability to function. After a vote that night to retain Janzen as clerk — followed by a special meeting two days later to vote again after a legal hiccup negated the May 24 vote — Janzen accepted the position.

“I’m blown away by my city’s support,” she said. “I really appreciate the city’s response — and the residents’ response — to all of this. They took time out of their lives to show me that support, and it meant the world to me.”