Riverhead Town Supervisor Sean Walter is losing his chief of staff.
Tara McLaughlin, who has held that position since he took office in January 2010, is taking a job in Brookhaven Town Hall, where she will serve as executive assistant to Brookhaven planning commissioner Tullio Bertoli.
“It’s an administrative position overseeing the day-to-day and the employees in the building division,” McLaughlin said.
“It’s bittersweet,” she said of her departure. “I’m excited for a new opportunity and a new challenge. It’s always good to keep yourself sharp,” she said. “But I’m really going to miss the people. Over the years, I’ve build relationships with residents, business owners, and everybody here in town — all the employees.”
McLaughlin also worked for former Riverhead supervisor Bob Kozakiewicz from 2000 to December 2003. She left when his successor, Phil Cardinale, took office in January 2004.
Her departure — set for July 10 — leaves Walter scrambling for a replacement at a time when he’s engaged in a fierce political battle for the Republican supervisor nomination. He is mounting a primary challenge to the town Republican committee’s designee, Councilwoman Jodi Giglio, who won the committee’s support in a very close vote at the party’s May convention.
“Of course I’m sorry to see her leave,” Walter said. “She’s done a great job for us. I’m not going to say that the timing is the best, but when opportunity knocks you have to answer. And this is a really good opportunity.” It will be good for her to work closer to home, Walter said. McLaughlin, 41, lives in Mastic and is the mother of two girls, ages 14 and 10.
Walter said he’s already gotten “a couple of resumes” of people interested in the post. “There are some interesting prospects for her replacement,” he said, declining to name names. “I spoke to a majority of the town board,” he said.
He said the replacement hire could come as soon as the board’s next regular meeting July 7.
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