By Elizabeth Cloutman

Photo by Monique Schoenfeld, Town Crier

In 25 years, Los Altos Hills has seen 12 city managers and four building officials, but just one part-time building technician - Jeanne Evilsizer. Thursday evening, the city council presented her with a plaque to honor her quarter-century of service to the town.

Being a building technician was not Evilsizer’s original career plan, but taking the job is not something she regretted.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in social science from San Jose State University in 1976, the Los Altos native envisioned working with the elderly, perhaps becoming an activities director at a senior center.

But her life took a different turn. “I knew someone on the (Los Altos Hills) city council who told me the town had a part-time opening,” Evilsizer said.

The year 1976 was a banner one for Evilsizer in other ways. She married her husband, Roy, and the couple bought their first home in Mountain View. “25 years later, I have the same job, the same husband and we live in our second home (in Mountain View).”

She attributes her longevity to several factors. “I enjoy interacting with the public and I live less than three miles away from work, so I don’t have to commute,” she said. “The staff and the city council members are all nice to work with. Being part time has definitely attributed to my longevity. It’s enabled me to raise our daughter and (have time) to be her Girl Scout leader.” The Evilsizers’ daughter Amber is now 22 and a senior at University of the Pacific in Stockton.

Evilsizer said she also enjoys walking with a co-worker from the town hall to Los Altos and back during her lunch hour. “I like the fact I work in a community where I can do this.”

Evilsizer’s job duties include helping people through the building permit process, assisting them over the telephone and at the front desk.

“Fortunately , by the time (applicants) get to the building permit, they’ve already completed (the approval process), their blueprints are complete and they’re ready to build.”

Besides working for the town Wednesday through Friday, Evilsizer has a second part-time job working as the district clerk for the Los Altos Hills County Fire District on Mondays and Tuesdays. “I take minutes of the meeting and do bookkeeping,” she said.

In her leisure time, Evilsizer enjoys her family, walking, swimming and making candy.

Neither Jeanne nor Roy - who makes transformers for Stangenes Industries in Palo Alto, plans on retiring any time soon. “I hope to work for at least 10 more years,” she said.

When the time comes, they hope to retire in the area, where Jeanne has lived all but one year of her life.