WESTHAMPTON BEACH—A New York State early retirement incentive has spurred a wave of longtime village employees to announce their upcoming departures, including Village Clerk Kathy McGinnis.
The Village Board accepted Ms. McGinnis’s pending retirement at its meeting last Thursday, November 4, along with the retirements of her deputy clerk, Christine Owen, Department of Public Works Superintendent George Gordon, and Linda Stanton, the secretary for the village’s Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals.
The employees, who have a combined 87 years of experience working for the village, will officially retire on Wednesday, December 29. They will join a fifth retiree, Department of Public Works laborer Tim Towers, who decided to take advantage of the state incentive earlier this year, and whose retirement will begin this week after 25 years with the village.
The retirement incentive program, which was approved by the State Legislature in May and adopted by Westhampton Beach in August, grants extra benefits to eligible employees who take early retirement this year. The idea is to help the state and local municipalities save on payroll costs.
The five Westhampton Beach employees who opted into the program have a combined annual salary of about $402,000. By hiring less costly replacements and by contributing fewer dollars into the state retirement system, the village is projected to save about $274,000 per year going forward, according to Ms. McGinnis.
The retirements will bring about a changing of the guard at Village Hall next year. Ms. McGinnis, who took up her post in 1995, will be replaced by Rebecca Molinaro, the longtime chief of staff to State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr.
“I think Becky will be splendid,” said Ms. McGinnis, 63, who lives in Remsenburg.
She said the state incentive swayed her to retire before her appointed term ends in 2012. She noted that she will work part-time for a few months after her retirement in order to train Ms. Molinaro in the wide-ranging duties of the village clerk, which include overseeing finances, elections, personnel and records.
Ms. McGinnis has some shared experiences with Ms. Molinaro. Both hold master degrees in public policy from Stony Brook University, and both worked for Mr. Thiele. Ms. McGinnis served as an aide to the Sag Harbor state assemblyman between 1988 and 1990, when he was a Suffolk County legislator, and again from 1992 to 1995, as his assistant when he was Southampton Town supervisor. Ms. Molinaro has worked for Mr. Thiele for the past nine years.
Ms. McGinnis’s career in government began 1985 when she worked in Southampton Town’s Community Development office. She served as director of the program from 1990 to 1992.
Mr. Gordon, another longtime municipal employee, began serving Westhampton Beach 37 years ago as a laborer in the Department of Public Works, and worked his way up to superintendent by 1996. His crew chief, John Kearns, will take over for him.
“The incentive really tipped the balance,” said Mr. Gordon, 57, who lives in Quiogue. “I’m into my 38th year. Financially, it just made sense.”
The village will not fill Mr. Kearns’s current position after he is promoted, allowing for significant savings, Ms. McGinnis said.
Ms. Owen, like Ms. McGinnis, said she will work part-time for several months after she retires to ease the transition. She began working for the village as a receptionist in 1989 and took up her current post in 1997. She now oversees taxes and performs an array of other tasks.
“It’s time,” said Ms. Owen, 61, who lives in East Quogue.
Her replacement will be Veronica Wagner, who currently works as a clerk for East Hampton Town.
Ms. Stanton, who also lives in East Quogue and was hired in 1996, will be replaced by Westhampton Beach resident Susan O’Rourke.
Will James on Nov 10, 2010