New administration installed in Manlius

TOWN OF MANLIUS – For the first time in its history, the Manlius Town Board convened last Wednesday with all seven members coming from the Democratic Party.
Other than that, the annual organizational meeting was business as usual.
After a swearing-in ceremony during which new Supervisor John Deer and Councilors Katelyn Kriesel, Sara Bollinger and William Nicholson took their oaths of office, the board appointed Alissa Italiano to fill the vacancy created by Deer moving up to the supervisor’s seat.
Italiano, 37, is a risk manager and management analyst for the Syracuse Housing Authority, where she has worked since 2012. In that role, she handles insurance and affordable housing development and compliance, among multiple other tasks. She is a graduate of Fayetteville-Manlius schools and a 2011 graduate of the Maxwell School of Citizenship at Syracuse University.
Italiano described the process of being appointed to the board as a whirlwind. She originally interviewed for a position on the zoning board of appeals on Dec. 28, but Deer and the other councilors quickly encouraged her to interview for the open position on the town board. Those interviews continued on Dec. 31 and Jan. 3 and she was appointed on Jan. 5.
“When we interviewed Alissa, the way that she answered the questions made it clear that she was willing to bring a lot of compassion, hard work and diligence to the board,” said Deer.
Italiano listed her priorities as economic development, affordable housing for seniors and people with disabilities, sustainability, and public transportation.
“We have very poor public transportation going on here,” she said. “I actually broke my right foot at one point and I wasn’t able to drive so I was trying to figure how can I get to work through public transportation and it was going to be a three-hour trip.”
“I’m really looking forward to listening to fellow residents and what their interests are as well,” she continued. “I love the community. I was born and raised here. It’s such a great community and I love it so much.”
Theobald named to planning board
Although he elected not to run again for the town’s top post, former Supervisor Ed Theobald will remain involved in town affairs. The board appointed him to a vacant spot on the Manlius Planning Board, filling the seat vacated by Fred Gilbert.
At the close of the meeting, Deer complimented his predecessor for aiding in the smooth transition between administrations.
“I just want to give a special shout out to Mr. Theobald for being an absolutely fantastic outgoing supervisor, a mentor. I have learned so much from him in a short time,” Deer said. “I’m really looking forward to what we’re going to do here by really building on what he was able to do here for so long.”
Theobald will be joined on the planning board by Judy Salamone, who has previously served on the zoning board of appeals.
The board also appointed Warren Linhart and Karrie Catalino to the zoning board of appeals.
In New York, each town holds an annual organizational meeting at which it adopts its policies and procedures and makes appointments for the coming year.