WILMA LABARE

Wilma and her husband Paul moved to Erlanger when he became an Erlanger Police Officer in 1957 having only been married two months. 

In 1973, Wilma was given the opportunity to work alongside her husband and serve the Erlanger community. The Commonwealth of Kentucky had mandated cities to have Police Court Clerks. Wilma was hired as the part-time Court Clerk for Erlanger’s Police Court Judge, her husband, Paul LaBare. 

Wilma continued in this position until 1978 when the City Police Courts were abolished. She was then hired full-time as the Deputy Treasury Clerk and, later, Deputy City Clerk.

Upon the retirement of City Clerk Patricia Frakes in 1984, Mayor Fred Thomas appointed Wilma as Erlanger’s next City Clerk. Wilma was the first Erlanger City Clerk to attend the Kentucky Municipal Clerks Institute conducted by the University of Kentucky’s Martin School of Public Policy and Administration. In 1989, Wilma became a certified Kentucky Municipal Clerk.

Wilma was active in professional organizations. She was a member of the Northern Kentucky, Kentucky and International Municipal Clerks Associations. Wilma served on the Board for both the local and state chapters. In 1998, Wilma became the fourteenth recipient of the Northern Kentucky Outstanding Municipal Clerk award. 

Everyone in Erlanger knew Wilma. She loved meeting and talking with residents as well as supporting local businesses.

Wilma continued as City Clerk until her retirement in 1998, having served the Erlanger community for twenty-five years. 

Erlanger had been a part of Wilma’s life since 1957. She often said, next to her family, the City of Erlanger was one of her greatest loves. Even after retirement, she supported future Erlanger City Clerks, occasionally checking in to see how they were doing.

Erlanger lost one of our biggest supporters in 2020. Wilma was a fun lady who loved her family and enjoyed life, those around her, and the Cincinnati Reds. Wilma especially loved Erlanger.

Provided by the Administration Department