Anita Fogle: County Clerk, And So Much More...

By Scott Nicholson

“County manager’s office. Can I help you?”

Those are the first words most people hear when they dial the number for Watauga County’s government, and most of the time they come from the mouth of Anita Fogle, clerk for the board of commissioners and assistant to the county manager.

Anita Fogle, clerk for the board of commissioners and assistant to the county manager, designed her own line of children’s furniture, and also makes custom purses and other crafts, sometimes selling them. Photo by Mark Mitchell

Fogle has been serving the county for five years. A Watauga County native, she attended Hardin Park Elementary School, Watauga High School and Appalachian State University. She got her first customer service experience working for Harris-Teeter, then worked as a clerk for Region D, which is now known as High Country Council of Governments.

As board clerk, Fogle is responsible for preparing the agenda for each commissioners’ meeting, drafting minutes of the meetings for board review and approval, keeping track of ordinances and resolutions, and preparing information packets for each of the bimonthly meetings and workshops.

As a county representative, Fogle sometimes gets a call from someone angry about some aspect of government, though often the complaint is over a matter in which the county has no jurisdiction.

“People call and complain about things we can’t control,” Fogle said. “But we’ve got a great staff and we like to help people. I really enjoy the public interaction.”

Outside the job, Fogle is active in the Boone Advent Christian Church, where she is Sunday school superintendent. She leads off the school sessions with devotions and announcements, sometimes having to substitute in leading one of the classes. Since the church has classes for all age groups, Fogle must be prepared to take a class in different directions.

She’s also active in the church’s Women’s Home and Foreign Mission Society, having served in a variety of leadership capacities. The society supports missions as well as local community services such as a monthly devotional and singing at Appalachian-Bryan Estates.

All four of her parents and in-laws were born in Watauga County. Her parents are Bobby and Georgia Jones, and she’s married to Shawn Fogle. Their son, Cameron, is 9 and attends Cove Creek Elementary School.

Some people know Anita Fogle best for her work displayed and sold at the Watauga County Farmer’s Market. She’s designed her own line of children’s furniture, and also makes custom purses and other crafts, sometimes selling them.

“If I can do it, I like doing it,” she said. “I crochet, paint, and design children’s furniture. I cut out shapes with a jigsaw.”

Fogle doesn’t use existing patterns, and waits for inspiration to strike. Usually, an interesting shape will spark a new piece of furniture. The family bought a house last year and renovation and restoration has taken most of her time and carpentry talents. “It’s a former fraternity house, so we’re doing some work,” she said, adding they hope to have a woodworking shop soon and begin making furniture again. “Right now I’m looking at paint samples to pick out a living room color.”

True to that passion, one of her favorite television shows is “Extreme Home Makeover.” Another favorite is “American Idol,” though she admits, “I can’t sing a lick.”

She and her husband work together on projects, and one of her paintings is on display in the county administrative offices. The wormy chestnut frame was built by her husband, and they also build furniture together, though Fogle said she has sold all the pieces she made. She also makes purses out of denim jeans scraps and old skirts.

Fogle said the biggest misconception about her job is the amount of paperwork involved. Sometimes public requests for documents can take some time and research, though many of the records are now online.

“We can’t always just drop what we’re doing and go get copies,” she said. “We try to answer everyone’s questions and get stuff to people as fast as we can.”

Fogle said the key to a successful office is having good relationships with co-workers. “I couldn’t work with better people,” she said. “We get along great. We know how to have fun, but we’re serious when we need to get the job done.”

Fogle also gets an ongoing lesson in how local governments operate and a better understanding of where local property taxes go, as she gets to watch the commissioners put together the annual budget.

Fogle has no plans to leave the area, though she does want to take her son to Disneyworld soon.

“I tell my husband you’ll never get me away from here,” she said, adding having four grandparents around helps when childcare is needed. “I love the area. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”