Ossining Hires Croton Village Manager to Lead Village
The Village of Ossining’s search for a new village manager yielded a familiar face from a neighboring municipality.
Ossining Mayor Victoria Gearity, flanked by the village board, announced last week that Abraham Zambrano, the current village manager in the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, will assume the same position in Ossining, starting on May 27, an annual salary of $190,000.
“Abe is the perfect fit for the Village of Ossining,” Gearity said outside Village Hall. “We look forward to Abe’s leadership in furthering our goals of improving communication, government efficiency and a vibrant economy. The first three months of 2015 have been very productive and exciting for this board. But no single decision will have as great an impact on our local government as the selection of Abe Zambrano to be our next village manager.”
Ossining paid a consultant $15,000 to find a suitable replacement for Richard Leins, who retired after a six-year run as village manager but was hired Monday by the City of Peekskill to serve as an interim city manager while the Common Council looks for a permanent successor to departing City Manager Anthony Ruggiero.
Gearity said Zambrano, who lives in the Town of Cortlandt, was chosen over 16 other applicants.
“The five of us are unified in this decision,” she said. “We know he is going to do a terrific job. We have great confidence in his success, and know that he will serve Ossining with integrity and dedication.”
Zambrano worked for the Village of Ossining in the past in the Finance Department. He has been village manager in Croton since 2008 after working for Croton as its village treasurer. He said rejoining Ossining’s government was an opportunity that he did not expect.
“I am truly honored that the Village of Ossining has selected me to help make Ossining a better place to live, work and visit,” said Zambrano, who received a five-year at-will contract to oversee 171 full-time employees.
Croton Mayor Leo Wiegman said the Board of Trustees was surprised to learn Ossining had lured Zambrano away. The board accepted his resignation a day after Ossining announced his hiring.
“I knew that Ossining had been looking for a village manager. It’s just a tremendous opportunity for Mr. Zambrano. I’m sure it was a hard decision,” Wiegman said. “It’s a bigger municipality with a lot of opportunities, particularly in economic development. I think Abe did his very best for us. He brought a great deal of financial acumen to managing the village. That became particularly helpful to us in light of the tax cap.”
Wiegman said the village promoted longtime employee Janine King to acting village manager while it conducts a search for a full-time replacement for Zambrano.
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