by Cindy Goldstein -
The Village courtroom was packed but the mood was different. The swearing in ceremony for three new Village Trustees brought hope for the future and a change in tone.
Over the past two years some Village board meetings had been particularly fractious with some trustees as well as residents losing their composure. Issues such as flooding, the Hunter Tier Request for Proposal (RFP) process and pedestrian safety didn’t always end in consensus. Now that three new Trustees (a majority of the five member Board) have been seated there is renewed hope for the future for these and other important issues.
Mayor Sharon Torres announced a new Village Manager, Kathleen Gill, has been hired to start on Monday, December 9th. Torres thanked Interim Village Manager Chuck Strome for his invaluable work during the time between managers. Strome, in an email to the BOT, thanked the Mayor for her kind words and expressed appreciation at having had the opportunity to serve for the past 9 months. He went on to comment the Board that he had worked with Ms. Gill for more than 20 years and that she is “clearly qualified” for the job and her experience in New Rochelle prepared her for many of the issues facing the Village. Strome also complimented the Village staff who have been working very hard to fill in for the vacancies created by the departure of the former Village Manager and the untimely passing of Deputy Village Manager Dan Sarnoff. Strome ended by saying he will help out in any way and that “you all know where to find me.” See full memo HERE.
Look for an in-depth interview with Ms. Gill in next week’s edition.
Newly elected trustees (Maria DeRose, Daniel Kushnick and Ellen Silver) were sworn in by Judges Dan Gallagher and Christie Derrico. Judge Gallagher, who also won re-election was sworn in by Judge Derrico.
For more information about each trustee see prior article HERE.
Mayor Torres named Trustee Nora Lucas as Deputy Mayor. The BOT also voted to make Sally Roberts the Acting Clerk and Laura Vasami the Acting Treasurer. Robert Spolzino was appointed Village Attorney and Mary Desmond as Deputy Village Attorney.
The BOT also voted to fill volunteer boards and commissions along with the boiler-plate basics to keep the Village running.
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