New Castle to Appoint Shapiro as Next Town Administrator
The New Castle Town Board is prepared to appoint Town Clerk and Receiver of Taxes Jill Shapiro as the municipality’s next administrator, the first major move of the new administration.
Shapiro, who has served as town clerk since 2005, would succeed Penny Paderewski who retired at the end of December following her defeat to Supervisor Robert Greenstein on Election Day. If approved at the town board’s first meeting of the year on Wednesday night, the appointment would be for six months for an adjusted pro-rated salary and give the board time to evaluate the operations of the town before making permanent personnel decisions, Greenstein said.
Greenstein announced the pending appointment, one of a series of changes that are planned in the first full week of the new board, on Sunday evening and in a message to the community on Monday. Mary Deems, who has served as Shapiro’s deputy, would take over the dual role of town clerk and receiver of taxes, Greenstein said.
The supervisor’s message also included new methods for the public and officials to communicate with each other.
Councilman Adam Brodsky said having Shapiro as town administrator would provide important continuity for the board, staff and public, all of whom have a high measure of respect for her.
“I think after the appointment is official this will make sure there is successful operation of the town and its services, since that doesn’t stop during this period,” Brodsky said.
Shapiro, an attorney, who prior to her work as town clerk and receiver of taxes served as town prosecutor for 16 years, said she is pleased to assist in whatever role the board has in mind.
“I’m happy to help the town and the board out however they see fit,” she said.
Shapiro said she doesn’t know whether she will be asked to continue in that capacity after the first six months but is prepared to step in without any hiccups. She said her familiarity with the town and its operations as well as her legal background should be a significant advantage for her.
Another planned change by the board majority of Greenstein, Brodsky and Councilwoman Lisa Katz, include the appointment of Robert Kirkwood to the planning board, with Kirkwood becoming its chairman. He ran unsuccessfully for supervisor against Susan Carpenter in 2011 and has previously served as the board’s chairman.
Other pending changes include the appointment of Stuart Miller, who lost in his bid for town justice in November, as a third town prosecutor and selection of the White Plains law firm of Keene & Beane LLP as town attorney replacing Clinton Smith. Katz would be the deputy supervisor.
Although Greenstein and Brodsky, part of the Republican-endorsed slate along with Katz, expressed enthusiasm for the changes, Democratic Councilman Jason Chapin said he was concerned about how the new members arrived at their decisions. He said the full board has yet to meet to discuss the various appointments or meet all of the candidates for appointment
“While I agree that the applicants should be interviewed by the entire board, they weren’t interviewed by all of the board members,” Chapin said.
Chapin was quick to point out that his issues with how the board’s decision was arrived at does not reflect his opinion of the people who have been considered for the positions.
In his Jan. 6 message to the community, Greenstein stressed new ways with how the board will keep residents informed, including greater utilization of social media, starting a campaign to increase public sign-up of the emergency notification system Code Red, and holding informal periodic coffees and chats prior to town board meetings. The town’s Facebook page doubled its likes to about 600 the first few days of the term, he said.
The public is invited to the first coffee, which is planned at town hall for Wednesday at 6:45 p.m., an hour before the start of the regularly scheduled board meeting.
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/
