Mamaroneck Town Hires New Comptroller

Public Hearing Set for Murray School Parking Changes

by Harriet Kline

(May 8, 2008) The Town Board met on Wednesday, May 7 to celebrate the appointment of one new staff member and honor another on his retirement. The board also set a public hearing to discuss possible changes to parking rules affecting the Murray Avenue School area.

New Town Comptroller - IT Director

Board members voted unanimously to appoint Anthony Siligato as both comptroller and director of information technology. Mr. Siligato succeeds Denis Brucciani, who became the full-time treasurer in the Village of Larchmont on April 16, 2008. (See: VOL Budget Now Hikes Taxes 4.79%). Mr. Brucciani had previously divided his time between the Town and the Village of Larchmont.

In the absence of Town Administrator Steve Altieri, Supervisor Valerie O’Keeffe read his memo outlining the process followed in the selection of Mr. Siligato. The process included receipt of almost 300 resumes, the selection of four finalists, and interviews with Town staff and members of the board.

Mr. Siligato was selected on the basis of his ten years of experience with municipal finance and information systems management. Most recently, he served as the senior accountant and MIS director in the Village of Port Chester. Mr. Siligato held similar positions in the villages of Ossining and Tuckahoe. According to Mr. Altieri, in addition to being a strong financial manager, Mr. Siligato “has achieved the level of IT expertise that the Town is looking for.”

The dual role of comptroller and IT director is a full time position with an annual salary of $130,000 plus benefits. Mr. Siligato will take up his duties on June 16, 2008.

Murray Avenue School Parking

Parking at drop-off and pickup times in the Murray Avenue School area has been problematic for some time. The latest proposals from the Town Traffic Committee include the following:

Creation of a “no parking” zone on the north side (school side) of Colonial Avenue between Murray and Daymon Terrace between 7:30 am and 9:00 am and between 2:00 pm and 3:30 pm.

Creation of a “no parking here to corner” zone of 20 feet at the corner of Sheldrake and Forest Avenues.

These recommendations are the outgrowth of discussions between the Traffic Committee, the Town police department, the Murray Avenue PTA and Town staff. A public hearing concerning these recommendations has been scheduled for the next regularly scheduled Town Board meeting on May 21st..

The board spent some time on Wednesday night discussing how best to notify interested parties about the public hearing and proposed changes. According to Town Attorney Bill Maker, there is no Town law mandating formal notification. However, Supervisor O’Keeffe and other board members were eager to alert the community. They suggested signs on school property, notes in the weekly PTA newsletter and letters to residents within a certain radius of the zones. The Board also hoped to develop policies regarding future notifications.

Ken Wesley Retirement

The Board meeting opened with a ceremony honoring the retirement of Ken Wesley. Mr. Wesley joined the Town Sanitation Department in 1969 and joined the Joint Larchmont/Mamaroneck Sanitation Commission in 1974. Supervisor O’Keeffe presented Mr. Wesley with a proclamation honoring his 35 years of service. Carmine DeLuca, the former comptroller and the current treasurer of the Sanitation Commission, was on hand to present Mr. Wesley with a bouquet of flowers.

Cold War Veterans Tax Relief

The Town Board unanimously adopted a local law to create a 10-year partial exemption from real estate tax levied by the Town on property owned by veterans who were on active duty in the United States armed forces sometime between September 2, 1945 and December 26, 1991. This so-called "Cold War Tax Exemption" applies to “fifteen percent of the assessed value of the veteran’s property and shall not exceed twelve thousand dollars or the product of twelve thousand dollars multiplied by the latest state equalization rate.”

In other words, said Councilwoman Nancy Seligson, “the savings is quite small.”

Upcoming: What’s Planned for the VFW Post?

The Town Board will hold a special meeting on Friday, May 9 at 1 pm in Conference Room A at the Town Center to set a date for a public hearing on filing applications for Community Development Block Grants related to possible construction projects at the David Potts Jr. Post 1156 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars on the Boston Post Road.

The meeting will be brief and pro forma, but the topic might prove of greater interest in the future when the board discusses potential plans for the building and property. The Larchmont-Mamaroneck Seniors, who had to vacate their space at the Larchmont Library because of construction there, have been holding their meetings at the VFW Post in rooms renovated for their use.

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