North Castle Closer to Hiring Town Administrator
The North Castle Town Board took a significant step toward hiring a town administrator last week by reaffirming the 2009 resolution that established the position and creating a committee to help it select a candidate.
Supervisor Howard Arden said the committee will include longtime Mamaroneck Town Administrator Stephen Altieri and retired New Castle Administrator Gerry Faiella plus two members from each of the task forces that helped the prior two administrations study the issue.
At its June 27 meeting, the town board approved the resolution that included a job description for the administrator. There was debate among board members triggered by Councilman Michael Schiliro prior to the vote where he pressed for more time to review the job description.
“I’d like to spend time to go over what we need this person to do,” he said.
Schiliro said he also wanted the work of the two task forces, one created under former Supervisor Reese Berman and the other during William Weaver’s administration, to be given full consideration. The second task force viewed the job as one that would have more financial responsibilities.
Once a majority of the board agreed to allow board members to review the job description before the committee goes to work, the resolution passed 4-1. Councilman Stephen D’Angelo was the lone board member who opposed the resolution.
“If you have two guys that are town administrators for years you have all the expertise you need right there,” Arden said in expressing confidence that the committee will be able to tweak the job description based on the town’s needs and the strengths of the job applicants.
The committee will review the applicants and present a short list of candidates for the town board to consider, Arden said. He is hopeful that the administrator will be hired in the fall, although he shied away from placing a target date for when the position will be filled.
Once the board makes the hire, North Castle will become just the third town in Westchester to have an administrator. Mamaroneck was the first town in the county to create the position followed by New Castle. All villages and cities have an administrator or manager.
In his support to fill the position, Arden has said that a professional well versed in municipal administration is needed to free up the supervisor to concentrate more on policy. Opponents have pointed to the cost of hiring an administrator, which would also include benefits and potentially support staff such as a deputy and a secretary.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
