Growing up, Susan Tolchin wasn”™t one to be found preaching on a soapbox.
“I was very timid,” said Tolchin. “My father was a lawyer and (when) we used to get phone calls that came at night (at our house), I was afraid to answer the phone. I was afraid I would say something wrong. I can”™t tell you how timid I was. I never went to camp because I was afraid to leave home.”
Times have changed.
For a girl who was “afraid of my own shadow,” Tolchin is now a force to be reckoned with. The former Greenburgh town clerk ”“ who was re-elected seven times ”“holds the third highest position in Westchester County government as chief adviser and communications director to County Executive Andrew Spano.
“I oversee various county offices, departments, communications, multimedia, all the information that goes out from the county whether it”™s brochures, whether it”™s videos ”“ all of these things have to flow through my office,” said Tolchin, who lives and works in White Plains. “So I have a lot of responsibility. I”™ve been really very lucky that what I have accomplished has been recognized and I was hired or elected for basically what I could bring to the people.”
Tolchin said learning to overcome her shyness helped her get to where she is today. She also credits her parents”™ active roles in the community and a loving household for inspiring her to get involved in government.
“I was very lucky to have two wonderful parents,” she said. “My father was always involved in politics, very involved in the community. My mother was just the most lovely, caring, compassionate person. So I think I got a mix from both my parents and always wanted to go into politics and I have a love of writing and journalism so it was just a natural.”
Tolchin didn”™t begin her career in politics. After graduating from Syracuse University with a degree in journalism and political science, she dreamed of working for Newsweek because it combined her political and journalistic interests. But after interviewing at the magazine, she learned she wouldn”™t start writing immediately and decided to take a different route.
“I got a job at Scholastic as a feature writer right away, and had a chance to build my talents,” said Tolchin. “If you know what you want to do and work hard at getting to the point where you know what you want to do, then get out there and work.”
Though there have been many rewarding moments in her career, Tolchin said, the first time she was elected town clerk stands out.
“The first time you”™re elected to an office is certainly a wonderful moment that you always remember,” she said. “And certainly the first time I was elected both my parents were still alive and it was a joy for them to see me follow in my father”™s footsteps and at the same time it was very exciting that a town of 80,000 people voted for you to give you the job that you want.”
But her job with the county executive is the one she cherishes most. “I think by far the job that I love the best is the job that I have right now. Working for County Executive Spano is just a terrific opportunity for me and it”™s a terrific opportunity for me to be part of this government that I think works so well for the people.”
Tolchin”™s advice to young women about pursuing their career paths?
“A woman needs to have a sense of self worth because many times they can”™t advocate for themselves as well as they should and that”™s something I think more young women are learning today. I think that was probably the hardest thing for me to learn and I had to learn it quickly because I was running for office.
“So I guess my advice is, to become what you want to become, get self confidence, get self-esteem and know your worth. And for some people that”™s easy to do, for some women that”™s easy to do, for other women, it”™s not. And I was one of those other women, but I got there.”
