Manor board picks new village manager, holds off on saying who while candidate’s current employers are informed
The Village of Pelham Manor Board of Trustees has selected a new village manager to succeed John Pierpont but could not yet announce who it is because the candidate needed to inform their current employer, Mayor Jennifer Monachino Lapey said at the village board meeting Jan. 9.
Pierpont is retiring after working as village manager for 28 years and for 10 years prior to that in another village.
“We have a successful candidate who is serving with a wonderful track record in a neighboring town,” said Monachino Lapey. “We have selected the best person for the job and will have further information soon.”
In a related matter, the board voted to eliminate the decades-old residency requirement for the positions of village manager, village clerk, superintendent of public works and building inspector to clear the way for the new hire. Pierpont currently holds all of those posts.
The change “gives you the availability of the candidate and what they have to offer,” Pierpont said.
In a later interview, Monachino Lapey said, “Our charge was to find the most qualified candidate to replace our very senior village manager. We did our research with respect to finding a strong successor for Mr. Pierpont. There is no preclusion to whether or not the new manager will move to Pelham Manor.”
The board held a public hearing on the local law changing the residency rule before it voted. Resident Kim Jaimes spoke out against lifting the residency requirement, presenting a petition signed by 32 individuals who also oppose the move.
“We formally request that the requirement that the village manager and the other officials remain as it is now,” Jaimes said. “It will not be in the best interest of the people of Pelham Manor. Personally, I think that the village manager and inspector should be cleared to live in Pelham because what if there was an issue that needs to be attended to quickly.”
Phoebe Schwarz is a senior at the Harvey School. She loves to write and edit and has been involved in the yearbook production at school, where she has...
