Newburgh Town Clerk seeks re-election

By Alberto Gilman
Posted 3/8/23

Town of Newburgh Clerk Lisa Vance-Ayers will seek re-election this coming fall alongside Town Supervisor Gil Piaquadio, Councilman Scott Manley and Councilman Anthony LoBiondo. Vance-Ayers will be …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Newburgh Town Clerk seeks re-election

Posted

Town of Newburgh Clerk Lisa Vance-Ayers will seek re-election this coming fall alongside Town Supervisor Gil Piaquadio, Councilman Scott Manley and Councilman Anthony LoBiondo. Vance-Ayers will be running on the Republican line. She has already received the Republican endorsement in recent weeks and was seeking the Conservative endorsement.

With over a year already under her belt as town clerk, Vance-Ayers admitted that it has been a bit of a learning curve as she has now taken on more responsibilities within the town office and government.

She assumed the role of town clerk following the previous Town Clerk, Joseph Pedi, who went on to serve as Receiver of Taxes in the town. Yet for Vance-Ayers, she was grateful for the town board and their support over the past year in the new role. “I can’t do it without the [town] board,” said Vance-Ayers. “They’re really great to work with. If I have a question or anything, I have no hesitations in asking them and they’re always there for me.”

For Vance-Ayers, within the past year, she has trained her two new deputy clerks, Dawnmarie Busweiler and Rachel Vazquez, who she was grateful to have added to the team. In addition, the office has been working to digitize town records, which was a task that was spearheaded by former Town Clerk Andrew Zarutskie prior to his passing. Within her time as town clerk, Vance-Ayers would like to see that project completed when it is all said and done. “There’s not a day that goes by that somebody doesn’t come to the window and ask about Andy or have a story about him,” said Vance-Ayers. “He definitely left a legacy.”

Zarutskie was honored by the town in October 2021 with one of the several Desmond Estate rooms named in his honor following the acquisition of the estate by the town. Zarutskie held the town clerk office for 18 years in Newburgh.

In the town clerk’s office, Vance-Ayers and her team address many calls from residents seeking assistance from the town, looking to speak with a particular department, attempting to pay a bill or any other related needs that they may have. “If there’s a question, they’re [residents] calling my office. You have to be honest with the residents,” said Vance-Ayers. “Sometimes residents just need an ear, for someone to listen to when they call us on the phone.”

If re-elected this coming fall, Vance-Ayers looks forward again to working with the town board and being a part of the ongoing progress in the town and to work again with the team already in place. For Vance-Ayers, she shared that this will be a year of training for her where she looks forward to learning additional strategies to run the office more efficiently. She would also like to see in the future a shredding event for senior citizens to be made available.

In the coming weeks and preparing for the petition period, Vance-Ayers was looking forward to door knocking and speaking with Newburgh residents and down the line, she foresees hosting meet the candidate events following the petition period. “I hope to continue serving the residents of the Town of Newburgh,” said Vance-Ayers. “I think I’ve done a great job and I hope that everybody will see that I’m doing a great job and want to get out there and vote for me.”