The Village of Munsey Park is looking for a new village clerk after letting the current clerk’s term expire.
The village Board of Trustees did not reappoint Barbara C. Miller, a 42-year veteran of municipal government, to her post as village clerk at its organizational meeting in April. Miller has held the job since 2008.
The board is now seeking a “well-qualified candidate” to replace her, the village told residents in an email on Monday.
“In general, the candidate should have strong customer service, finance, organizational and computer skills and be able to contribute to a more user-friendly environment for the residents of the Village,” the email says.
In an email, village Mayor Frank J. DeMento said Miller will stay in her post until the village hires her replacement, who will serve the rest of the two-year term.
But he did not say why she was not reappointed.
The village “does not publicly discuss personnel issues, but notes that the Village appreciates Ms. Miller’s service as Village Clerk,” DeMento said in his email.
Miller, 67, did not return a phone call and email seeking comment. She was paid $80,109 in 2015, according to payroll records posted by Newsday.
As one of the village’s five full-time employees, the clerk maintains all village records, issues permits and licenses, administers local laws and keeps minutes for all village boards, according to a classified ad for the job sent to Blank Slate Media.
The ad seeks candidates with a bachelor’s degree, municipal record-keeping experience, computer skills and interpersonal skills who live in Nassau County, with preference given to village residents. The position comes with a pension and health care benefits, the village email to residents says.
The village wants applicants to send résumés to Morici & Morici, a Garden City-based law firm, according to the classified ad.
The search follows a recent backlash to the Board of Trustees’ decision to create a new village administrator position in May and appoint DeMento’s brother-in-law, Daniel Breen, to fill it — both without any prior public notice.
Breen later declined the job after expressions of public outrage and is continuing in his position as a full-time village utility worker. Reached by phone at Village Hall on Wednesday, Breen said it is uncertain whether the village is still seeking a different candidate for the post.
Miller criticized the move to appoint Breen, saying the board acted inappropriately by creating the position without putting it on the Board of Trustees’ meeting agenda. She also said Breen, who started working with the village last year, was unqualified for the supervisory post.
Village officials defended their decision at last month’s board meeting. Trustee Larry Ceriello said they were “trying to do the right thing” and said critical residents “engaged in character assassination.”
Sue Auriemma, a former village trustee and a Manhasset civic leader, said the lack of explanation for Miller’s ouster is troubling, given the depth of experience she brought to the job.
“It concerns me because she’s probably the person who’s been there the longest in Village Hall, and this board is relatively new,” Auriemma said.
The Board of Trustees next meets on July 12 at 7:30 p.m.
