Nine positions in North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena’s new administration have been filled.
The jobs were included in a personnel resolution approved 4-3 by the Town Board on Jan. 6.
Joseph Scalero will serve as deputy town supervisor and chief of staff. Scalero, who was part of DeSena’s transition team, comes to the town after serving the Village of Mineola for 16 years as clerk.
“He has a lot of experience with smart growth, development and an administration background,” DeSena previously said regarding his appointment.
DeSena said she and Scalero will meet with town departments to gauge their operations and assess any improvements that can be made. Specifically, the two will observe the Building Department, which DeSena ran on fixing, and inquire about its objectives and measurements to track progress, among other things.
Scalero is president of the New York State Association of Village and City Clerks, which tries to educate officials and increase their level of professionalism. Scalero takes the post previously held by Janine Dillon, who filled in after Aline Kathadourian resigned in 2019.
John Chiara was appointed town attorney, succeeding Leonard Kapsalis, officials said last Thursday. The Garden City resident joins North Hempstead after his stint as acting Nassau County attorney, where he oversaw more than 60 attorneys and 30 support staff, according to officials. Previously, he served as special assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, assistant district attorney for the Manhattan district attorney’s office, special counsel and assistant attorney general in the New York state attorney general’s office and deputy county executive for compliance in the Nassau County executive’s office.
Chiara is a major in the United States Army Reserve and is a veteran of the Afghanistan War, where he served as a chief legal adviser to a commander.
Serving as special counsel to the town will be Charles McQuair. He has nearly three decades of experience in general practice law and has previously held positions in the Town of Oyster Bay and City of Glen Cove, where he served as assistant town attorney and city attorney respectively, according to the supervisor’s office.
Paul Wood will serve as director of finance. Wood is a CPA and accounting executive who previously worked as chief tax compliance officer and vice president of Lexington Realty Trust, the same firm he served as chief accounting officer during his 30-year tenure.
Brian Devine, director of communications for the supervisor’s office, has worked for 12 years in the Town of Oyster Bay’s press office.
Regarding the three appointees that work in the supervisor’s department, DeSena said they will help fix issues in the town.
“I am very excited for Paul, Brian, and Charles to join my team,” DeSena said in a statement to Blank Slate Media. “They all bring something unique to the table as we work together to move this great Town forward, and do the work of better serving our taxpayers, fixing the dysfunction that exists within the Town, and streamlining Town government to make it more efficient.”
Meagan McCarty will serve as an administrative assistant to the Town Board. McCarty worked as a legislative aide for North Hempstead and has worked on campaigns for then-state Sen. Elaine Phillips, former Councilwoman Dina De Giorgio and state Senate candidate Dave Franklin.
Connor Dunleavy will serve as executive assistant to the supervisor. Two deputy clerk positions will be held by Ratna Bhalla and Maggie Malito.
