HERTFORD — Throughout her long career as a judge, U.S. attorney, private attorney and now town manager, Janice Cole says her guiding principle has always been to leave a situation better than she found it.
Cole, who will be stepping down as Hertford town manager at the end of next month, believes she’s been able to stay true to that principle with her work for the town over the past two years.
The evidence suggests she did that and more.
Under Cole’s leadership, the town of Hertford has been able to garner about $25 million in state grants over the past several years. A lot of that money is helping build the town for the future by improving its aging and crumbling infrastructure.
“Our infrastructure is in poor condition. Pipes are crumbling and creating leaks in our streets,” Cole said. “We have been working on that American Rescue Plan Act grant with engineers for two years, locating underground pipes and their conditions. We’re not just analyzing the condition but seeing what can be done.”
Cole said toward the end of the year, residents will “see more digging up of the streets” — and that will be a good sign because it will mean “we’ve gotten to the point where all the study and analysis have been done and we can be done.”
Another challenge Cole took on was reenergizing downtown revitalization efforts. The town became a Main Street community 10 years ago but needed a boost of energy to get the program working the way it needs to promote the downtown.
“When I came it had pretty much lost its focus,” Cole said of the Main Street program. “I went through the Main Street training myself. That was the way I had to understand what we should be doing and how we could do it.”
Cole said she was able to get the state Main Street program’s leadership to come to Hertford and help the town’s nonprofit Main Street board complete a strategic plan.
“It got us to the point where the town could hire a Main Street director, part time,” Cole said. “We applied and got a streetscaping grant that furthered the vision of our Riverfront plan.”
Another place where Cole will be leaving Hertford better than she found it is at Town Hall. Cole said she hired Gina Durante as town clerk, who has helped catch up long overdue Town Council meeting minutes and improve the town’s overall customer service to citizens.
“We are small but we have put a strong staff in place who can do the job,” Cole said.
As long as the town continues to improve its infrastructure, Cole is confident Hertford will have opportunities for growth. Bringing in more retailers would not only boost the economy but reduce the need for residents to drive beyond Perquimans’ borders to shop.
“There’s so much to look forward to here, such as renovation of the State Theater, the Riverfront Plan, and more affordable housing,” Cole said.
Cole said increasing the town’s population is essential because so many things — sales tax revenue, for example, — depend on the number of people a town has.
Cole believes she’s also helped improve the working relationship between the town and Perquimans County. She noted that the two local governments have collaborated over the last year on public events like recognition of first responders, matching funds for grants, and appeals to the Legislature for appropriations.
Cole accepted the role of interim town manager in January 2022 after she closed her immigration law practice. She agreed to assist the town for a limited period of time but ended up accepting the role of permanent manager in January 2023.
Cole has said she has no plan now to return to the practice of law. She does plan “to make myself available” to perform contract work for the town on special projects, she said.
She also thinks she’ll have more time for pickleball, an activity she recently picked up.
One thing the native New Yorker does plan to do is talk up her adopted home to others.
“It’s a beautiful town. The people are warm and friendly and care about each other,” she said. “I think a lot of people would be comfortable living here.”
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