Tell us about your family and background.
Married with six children and two grandchildren. I have three in college right now with my last graduating from high school in June. I currently live in Seneca Falls but will be relocating closer to Manlius within the next six months. I graduated from Romulus Central School in 1983 and attended college at Cayuga Community College and Ohio Northern University. I left college in 1986 when I had my first child and would very much like to go back and finish.
I worked for the village of Seneca Falls for 11 years – hired as the Clerk in 2001 and finished as deputy clerk-treasurer, registrar and cemetery manager when we closed the doors in December.
What was the process of “closing shop” in Seneca Falls like?
“Closing shop” in Seneca Falls was heart wrenching. Seeing a community divided by the dissolution issue was very hard. It seemed that toward the end the majority of people that we spoke with were unsure that dissolution was the right answer and a number of those same people were ones who confessed to voting “yes” for dissolution. The process itself was even further complicated by the fact that the town leaders and village leaders didn’t communicate well.
What unique perspectives/experience do you bring to the job?
Aside from the experience with the dissolution, I also have experience with water and sewer services to include budgeting and billing, managing a 14,000-grave cemetery and serving as the village zoning officer for five years. Even though those services here are handled by outside entities, it is good to have a strong working knowledge of all aspects of community living to provide the level of service that residents expect, in my opinion.
How has the transition to the village of Manlius been so far?
The transition has been really uneventful. Everyone here – from the mayor and board to the employees and the residents have all been wonderful. The job is not very different from the one I left – the characteristics of the community are slightly different, however the job is relatively the same.
What are your goals in your position?
My goals are to help the mayor and the board gain a clear picture of the village finances at all times and to help them continue to look for ways to provide the same services more cost-effectively; and most importantly, to provide the residents of this community with exemplary customer service.
How is the budget preparation going? What steps are you taking to make it a smooth process?
Because I just started full time on Jan. 3, I am now finishing getting the up-to-date numbers needed to start the budget process. The department heads have already started working on preparing their budgets and by the end of February we should have a good idea of what the preliminary budget is going to look like. I guess it’s as smooth a process as it can be given the vacancy in the clerk-treasurer position for six-and-a-half months.
What do you foresee in the future – both with the village itself and with your involvement as clerk/treasurer?
Well, I hope I am here in the future. I would like nothing more than to finish out my career here. It is a beautiful community with a lot of wonderful people. I believe that the experience and commitment that I bring, coupled with the enthusiasm and dedication of the mayor and the board will be a great benefit to the residents here.
Jennifer Wing is Managing Editor at Eagle Newspapers. She can be reached at [email protected].
