FAIRMONT — Jim Forshee, Martin County’s Auditor/Treasurer, will retire in July. Jessica Korte, currently working for the Auditor/Treasurer’s Office, will finish out his term through Dec. 31, 2022.

Korte discussed how she came to work for the county, as well as the challenges and opportunities ahead of her.

“I’m originally from Trimont, so I grew up in Martin County,” she said. “I graduated from Martin County West and actually took Minnesota School of Business courses online for a two-year degree while I was in high school. I worked at Militello Motors and got my governmental experience at [Roessler Nuss & Co.].

“Then there was a job that opened up here; it was a newly created position as an accountant and I’ve been here since 2011. I like to be busy, and that’s what our business constantly is.

“It takes a lot of effort to coordinate between all the different departments, and our office is kind of the main hub. It’s rewarding and exciting, there’s never a dull moment.”

Korte is looking forward to tackling the new role, expecting she will encounter some new and interesting duties along the way.

“It’s exciting,” she said. “There are some unknowns and there will be an interesting learning curve when Jim leaves in July. But with what my job entails and what his job entails, we’ve worked pretty closely together, so I’m not necessarily nervous about some of it.

“There are some of those unknowns like the election side of things that Jim does. I haven’t necessarily been part of that, so there will be that learning curve with things like testing machines and being in front of people.”

However, Korte is not worried and noted that her predecessor taught her much to which she can avail herself.

“I feel like I’ve picked up a lot from Jim,” she said. “He’s a great person to learn from. I love working with people and look forward to helping them solve whatever issues they may have.”