When outgoing Town Clerk Lynn Medeiros left her office on Thursday evening, she thought she was simply going to meet up with a friend to pick up a gift. 

Instead, she was greeted with more than 50 cars streaming through the town hall parking lot to celebrate her retirement later this month.

“I was so surprised,” Medeiros said. “It was very nice of everyone to come out just for me.”

Many of the cars that stopped by were covered with signs and balloons and were driven by friends, family, and current and former town clerks from around the South Coast. 

“I’m so excited for the next step in Lynn’s life,” former Swansea clerk Susan Taveira said. 

Former Mattapoisett town clerk Barbara Sullivan, who tricked Medeiros out of the office for the celebration, said that after nearly 30 years of working in the town’s municipal government her retirement was very well deserved.

“There’s just so much stress and so many deadlines in this line of work,” Sullivan said. “Retirements are very well earned.”

Along with gifts of wine and flowers, some drivers handed the outgoing clerk some envelopes, which Medeiros said thankfully did not include additional paperwork for her to work on.

“Thankfully it’s not that time of year,” Medeiros laughed.

During her tenure as clerk, Medeiros secured various programs for the town office to keep things up-to-date, digitized many of the town bylaws, and oversaw an election during a global pandemic.

The term of office for Medeiros doesn't expire until April 2021, so an interim appointee will need to be named until that time.

The Select Board discussed their options for finding an interim town clerk to take her place at a virtual meeting on July 13, as they said the current assistant town clerk has given her notice and will be leaving soon as well.

For her retirement, Medeiros said she has a new opportunity lined up — with more details to be disclosed after she leaves the office.

“All I can say is that it is something a little more relaxing,” she said.