County Executive-elect Rob Astorino has placed his imprimatur on his transition team: Put taxpayers first.
It was his mantra during his campaign and helped unseat Andy Spano as county executive.
“There”™s a lot of things happening at warp speed, but we”™ve got seven weeks to go before we take office and we have to get everything ready for that day,” Astorino said. “I want to make sure when we walk through the door on Jan. 1, even though it”™s a holiday, we”™ll be up and running.”
In helping to meet that deadline, Astorino last week revealed the members of his executive committee for the transition. The team is made up of:
Kevin J. Plunkett, who will serve as chairman. Plunkett is a partner in the White Plains law firm of DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr L.L.P.
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Katherine “Kay” Carsky, who served on the Westchester Board of Legislators for 19 years.
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Thomas F. Egan, a retired lawyer and a business consultant with more than 20 years of public service with the State University of New York and Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Robert W. Elliott, mayor of Croton-on-Hudson from 1991 to 2005. He founded Historic River Towns of Westchester.Â
Alé Frederico, vice president-team leader of TD Bank Government Banking. She is chairwoman of the Westchester Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Wiley C. Harrison, founder and president of Business of Your Business L.L.C., a financial services firm in White Plains.
Harry J. Wilson, a private investor focusing on businesses undergoing transition. He was a senior adviser to the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry.
At the top of Astorino”™s to-do list is selecting first the deputy county executive, budget director and county attorney.
Astorino last week described the transition so far as smooth adding, “We”™re getting a lot of cooperation from the current administration.”
After the county budget is released by Spano, Astorino said he and his team are going to “sit down with him and go through” it.
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“We want to learn how many contracts are in the process of being ratified. Not just with employees, but also vendor contracts and services,” Astorino said. “We have asked for an immediate hiring freeze as well so we can get a handle on everything.”
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Astorino said he hopes to have subcommittees in place this week with about six people on each. They in turn will be broken down into subgroups on how to handle specific departments within the county.
The transition teams will begin their work on Nov. 18, meeting with employees, combing through the books and writing evaluations, he said.
“They will take resumes for current staff and future employees that want to work for the county and then winnow the list down to a short list of qualified people who I”™ll review and determine who I want to appoint.”
These subcommittees will then report back Dec. 10 to the executive committee with their written reports and recommendations.
“Every commissioner, every deputy commissioner and executive director and every employee is going to know from now until I take office that there are very high expectations of them,” Astorino said. “Those that are ready to change direction, those that have been working hard, they”™ll stay. Those that have not, those that have a different philosophy ”“ odds are pretty likely they won”™t. I want to work with people who clearly I trust, who have the same vision as I do. I want all the employees and commissioners to take pride in their job. If they look at it as a 9 to 5 job, it”™s probably not going to be for them. I never had a 9 to 5 day in my life.”
Astorino said he is being “bombarded” with suggestions and advice. With that in mind, he said a web site will be up and running shortly to afford residents a forum.
“A clear shot was sent by the voters. It is understood. I know what my mission is. The transition team will have high expectations ”¦ we”™ll go about this methodically and quickly.”
