"MASSENA - An existing village employee will succeed Daniel E. Case as treasurer.

The village Board of Trustees voted 4-0 Tuesday evening, with Patricia K. “Trish” Wilson absent, to appoint Julie Sharlow, the Department of Public Works’ senior account clerk, as treasurer.

Ms. Sharlow will take over for Mr. Case when he retires at the end of September and will shadow him between now and then.

The village board interviewed four candidates for the position and decided Ms. Sharlow was the best fit, Mayor James F. Hidy said. The board entered into an executive session last Thursday for the interviews. Mr. Hidy declined comment on who else was interviewed.

“The board felt she was the right candidate for the position,” Mr. Hidy said. “We felt based on the job description, she fit.”

The board sought someone with “good knowledge of governmental accounting principles and practices, three years of bookkeeping or business experience,” including accounting work, and a high school diploma, according to the advertised requirements.

The treasurer is Massena’s chief fiscal officer whose responsibilities include tracking all money and accounts of receipts and expenditures, according to village law. The treasurer also has an active role in preparing the village’s budget each year.

Ms. Sharlow has worked for the village for 21 years, according to DPW Superintendent Hassan A. Fayad. Her work as an account clerk has made already made her familiar with village government and finances, he said.

Ms. Sharlow’s experience made her a valuable asset at the DPW, Mr. Fayad said.

“She’s going to transition rather nicely into that post,” he said. “It’s going to me a tremendous adjustment for me. Every day she’s vacationing or absent, she’s the one I miss the most.”

The board and Ms. Sharlow are still negotiating what her new salary will be, village officials said.

Ms. Sharlow did not return calls for comment Tuesday night. Mr. Hidy and Trustee Francis J. Carvel said she had a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Potsdam, but did not have her area of study available after the meeting Tuesday night. Trustee Timothy J. Ahlfeld said the board planned to fill Ms. Sharlow’s position at the DPW.

The village board also voted 4-0 to appoint career firefighter Ken McGowan to serve as “interim fire driver crew leader” replacing retiring foreman R. Shawn Gray. The village must still advertise for the position and obtain a list of eligible civil service applicants before making a permanent appointment, Mr. Hidy said. Mr. Carvel said Mr. McGowan’s interim salary was still being negotiated.

Thousands of readers like you have made Northern New York Newspapers the number one ranked website* for local news and sports coverage in the north country.

You can continue on to this article in a few seconds, or you can visit one of our websites:

• Watertown Daily Times
• The Ogdensburg Journal
• Daily Courier-Observer