Patrick Michael is serving his last day in a 28-year career as clerk of the legislative assembly today.

But rather than tying up loose ends in government business, Michael is packing boxes in his office and putting name-tag stickers on the backs of the many pictures and paintings in the legislative assembly's basement offices that belong to him.

Michael, 55, said the appointments of deputy clerk Floyd McCormick and assistant chief electoral officer Jo-Ann Waugh to fill his two positions are making the transition into retirement easier.

Their expertise and familiarity with the government building and job descriptions are saving some time and frustrations, Michael said in an interview.

'I'm pleased with all the activities that have gone towards the transition,' he said.

March 30 has arrived, and a lot of the work he wanted to get done before stepping away from the job has been completed, said Michael. A new clerk has been appointed, a chief electoral officer has been named, a new ombudsman found and the electoral boundaries commission announced.

'Now it's all theirs. I'm pleased.'

Michael, a Saskatchewan native with a degree in history and political science from the University of Alberta, began his career in the Yukon as a table officer in 1977.

He was later appointed to the position of clerk on Oct. 30, 1978, and five years later also took on the position of chief electoral officer in December 1983.

As the clerk, Michael guided the territory through the implementation of party politics and the devolution of federal powers to the territorial government. He also guided the assembly responsibilities as they exist today.

Michael announced his retirement in October 2006. Reflection since handing in his resignation has only confirmed for him the timing is right, he told the Star.

'I've just been at it long enough. Maybe as you age, you become more impatient.'

Clerks are meant to serve as nonpartisan parliamentary experts and provide continuous and lasting advice on parliamentary procedure and the political institution itself to elected representatives.

So for the last 28 years, Michael hasn't had the luxury of having an opinion on much of anything in the public realm because of his job title. It's something he is looking forward to changing at least a little.

'Over the last month, I've started to give myself the luxury of holding opinions and expressing them,' said Michael. 'That's kind of dangerous for a clerk.'

Michael has gone so far as to send a letter to city council expressing his displeasure about the discussion on raising building height restrictions in Whitehorse to eight storeys.

It felt good to do it, he said.

'As clerk, you just subconsciously start to hold back,' he said, 'Some others completely repress them (opinions).'

Michael plans on doing some writing in his retirement and maybe getting into documenting the history of the Yukon's house of government.

He doesn't, however, plan to get too political in his opinions or start bashing the members of the legislative assembly from the sidelines.

'You need to know all the circumstances of some of the difficult and serious decisions they have to make in there,' he said. 'I'm not going to know that so it's not being fair to be taking chip shots.'

To start, Michael instead plans on pursuing his love of golf and will be meeting with a group of friends for two weeks in Myrtle Beach in the U.S.

It's an annual engagement that he has never been able to attend before because of his clerk responsibilities.

'I was finally able to say yes.'