'I'm here to help'

For the past seven years, Marie Christen has been the sweet and smiling face behind Sweet Marie's Bakeshop in Saratoga but will now be showing her smile at Saratoga Town Hall as the new town clerk.

Having first arrived in the Valley in 2010 as a sous chef for Brush Creek Ranch, Christen worked for the luxury ranch resort for more than three years before starting her first business.

From custom cakes for any occasion to unique sweets and a la carte breakfast items, Sweet Marie's Bakeshop has become a cornerstone to the diverse businesses on Bridge Avenue.

As her business grew, so did her family, and Marie was often seen swiftly moving around her small bake shop location with one of her three children in tow. It wasn't uncommon, in fact, to see her youngest son, Orin, passed out while riding on her back as she fulfilled various orders.

In 2018, Marie and her husband, Tyler, expanded their business as they moved to the former home of Hat Creek Saddlery and opened Sweet Marie's Mercantile alongside a new location for the bake shop.

Along with the businesses, Marie has also volunteered her time as an assistant coach for the Saratoga Middle High School drama club and was appointed as the Saratoga representative to the South Central Wyoming Emergency Medical Services (SCWEMS) Joint Powers Board.

With three children, two businesses, a husband and time being volunteered it's not uncommon to hear people in the Valley ask 'How can she do it all?' especially as she now adds town clerk to her list of duties.

"I don't do it all. I do as much as I can with the time that I'm given but I wanted to spend more time with my family. My kids are getting older," said Marie in a recent interview with the Saratoga Sun. "The older they get, the less time it seems there is to spend with them."

One may think that adding a new job on top of running two successful businesses may be antithetical to wanting to spend more time with her family, but Marie has a plan.

"I'm appreciative of my employees over at the bake shop and the mercantile. Currently, I have Tina Herring and she looks after the mercantile most of the time and so I don't really have to worry about that besides ordering fun stuff for it," Marie said. "The bake shop, I'm going to have to close for just a little bit until I can find someone to manage it. I think that I'm at a place now where I can step away and just find good employees to put my vision out there."

Following the retirement of former town clerk Suzie Cox, Marie said she considered the position for quite a while as the Town of Saratoga advertised for the vacancy.

With her experience running both the mercantile and the bake shop, she said she felt there were elements that would transfer well to serving as the town clerk. Another contributing factor was the time she has served on the SCWEMS Joint Powers Board, a position she was appointed to by former mayor John Zeiger in 2019.

"It's only one meeting a month, but I've really enjoyed going to those meetings," said Marie. "I don't know what it was about it, I just felt like this might be my calling. So, after discussing it with Tyler and my family, I applied not knowing what would happen. I tried to keep it quiet until the second interview."

Originally one of six applicants, the Saratoga Town Council quickly whittled down the pool to only two. Following a second round of interviews with both applicants, Marie was formally appointed by Mayor Creed James on March 16.

Serving as town clerk, Marie now joins Tyler-a sergeant with the Saratoga Police Department-as an employee of the Town of Saratoga.

"He's really supportive. He's always said 'Whatever you think is best for you and the family, I will always back you up'," Marie said. "He wasn't sure how we would do it but he knew that I needed to slow down too because he saw how much I worked."

Watching Marie open up a bake shop and a mercantile, one might assume that she doesn't shy away from many challenges. Coming into this new position, she admits that there is a significant learning curve compared to what she's been used to these past seven years.

"I am starting something that I've never done before, so I think everything is going to be a learning curve, but I'm open to it all. I'm open to learning everything. It's not difficult as long as you keep an open mind about things," said Marie. "I've just been trying to look over everything and see how I can help, see how I can pick things up. The first day I started, we had to do payroll. So, I jumped right in there and helped out and I thought it went great." 

Despite the learning curve that will inevitably continue for the immediate future, Marie said she is comfortable with the town hall staff and the council. With the combination of running two businesses and being involved with the community, she has seen everyone outside of town hall in one way or another.

"I feel really comfortable. I felt like, with everyone, I've spoken about little things before whether it was at the shop or with little league and signing my child up or going to church (and) talking to D'Ron (Campbell) about things," Marie said. "I feel really comfortable with them."

Additionally, treasurer Sammy Flohr and assistant clerk/treasurer Brenda Mistelske have been helpful to Marie as she transitions into this new position. According to Marie, they've been more than willing to answer any questions she has, as has Pam Paulson, who has been contracting with the Town of Saratoga.

As for town residents with questions ranging from the balance on their water and sewer bill to requests for public documents, Marie said she will do her best to help them any way she can.

Said Marie, "I'm here to help, I'm here to work for the town."