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Bernie Talty stands watch over what some might call the crossroads of Victor. It’s the place where boards convene, committees deliberate, officials make decisions and the town council crafts its annual budget. It’s where residents come to pay their taxes and license their dogs, to ask a question or lodge a complaint. Bernie Talty is the Town Hall’s custodian and caretaker, and in one way or another, he has a hand in a lot of what happens there.
“I set up for the Town Board meetings and the luncheons for the senior citizens, so it’s always something to do,” he says.
For the past 11 years, the 72-year-old Victor resident has worked a 30-hour week cleaning floors, unlocking doors, and making sure everything is ship-shape and running smoothly.
“I’m here in the morning and they all come in and that’s my social hour,” Talty laughs. “I clean the Town Court too. I come in here on Saturdays and do a complete cleaning and then touch up during the week. It’s a big building and I have a friend, a guy that helps me.”
If there’s a common thread in the life of this uncommon man, it’s got to be his friendships.
“I’ve actually had the opportunity to know Bernie for about 12 years now, even before I became supervisor here,” says Victor’s Jack Marren. “At the job I worked before, he used to sell janitorial products and the guys loved him. He’s ... very therapeutic. He’ll be in having a cup of coffee with someone and I’ll always ask him, ‘Are you charging for these sessions?’”
Friends and family have also been there when it mattered most, because for Talty, life hasn’t always been smooth sailing. He remembers when things got especially difficult in 1999.
“My brother and I were married to sisters and he lived here in Victor,” he says. “When my wife got sick — very sick — they helped me with her. If it wasn’t for them I would have had a really tough time. She died in 2001 and she had a short life, but she’s a great woman.”
Five years later, things started looking up for Talty — in a big way.
“I met somebody two doors down (from where I lived). She didn’t go out with me right away, but I did some work for her. She had a garage sale and I bought everything at the garage sale and she still didn’t go out with me. But we’re together now and we have a good life.”
Those who pass through Victor Town Hall would do well to stop and say hello to this unofficial gatekeeper. He’s well worth getting to know.
“I see a lot of people during the day,” says Talty. “They’ve all been very good to me. They’re great people from the supervisor down. It’s a lot of fun every day, you know? And I have a good sense of humor, so that makes it easy for a day to go by.”
Bernie Talty stands watch over what some might call the crossroads of Victor. It’s the place where boards convene, committees deliberate, officials make decisions and the town council crafts its annual budget. It’s where residents come to pay their taxes and license their dogs, to ask a question or lodge a complaint. Bernie Talty is the Town Hall’s custodian and caretaker, and in one way or another, he has a hand in a lot of what happens there.
“I set up for the Town Board meetings and the luncheons for the senior citizens, so it’s always something to do,” he says.
For the past 11 years, the 72-year-old Victor resident has worked a 30-hour week cleaning floors, unlocking doors, and making sure everything is ship-shape and running smoothly.
“I’m here in the morning and they all come in and that’s my social hour,” Talty laughs. “I clean the Town Court too. I come in here on Saturdays and do a complete cleaning and then touch up during the week. It’s a big building and I have a friend, a guy that helps me.”
If there’s a common thread in the life of this uncommon man, it’s got to be his friendships.
“I’ve actually had the opportunity to know Bernie for about 12 years now, even before I became supervisor here,” says Victor’s Jack Marren. “At the job I worked before, he used to sell janitorial products and the guys loved him. He’s ... very therapeutic. He’ll be in having a cup of coffee with someone and I’ll always ask him, ‘Are you charging for these sessions?’”
Friends and family have also been there when it mattered most, because for Talty, life hasn’t always been smooth sailing. He remembers when things got especially difficult in 1999.
“My brother and I were married to sisters and he lived here in Victor,” he says. “When my wife got sick — very sick — they helped me with her. If it wasn’t for them I would have had a really tough time. She died in 2001 and she had a short life, but she’s a great woman.”
Five years later, things started looking up for Talty — in a big way.
“I met somebody two doors down (from where I lived). She didn’t go out with me right away, but I did some work for her. She had a garage sale and I bought everything at the garage sale and she still didn’t go out with me. But we’re together now and we have a good life.”
Those who pass through Victor Town Hall would do well to stop and say hello to this unofficial gatekeeper. He’s well worth getting to know.
“I see a lot of people during the day,” says Talty. “They’ve all been very good to me. They’re great people from the supervisor down. It’s a lot of fun every day, you know? And I have a good sense of humor, so that makes it easy for a day to go by.”
