In a move that has the potential to change how Town Hall operates for years to come, the East Hampton Town Board has appointed the first town administrator, whose responsibilities will range from overseeing staff in the supervisor’s office to preparing the annual operating budget.
Rebecca Hansen, East Hampton Town’s budget officer, was appointed to the newly created position at the town board’s organizational meeting on Tuesday.
“Having been here for 10 years and watching how things function, I just felt that we needed somebody at the top that could make sure things work more effectively and efficiently,” Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said of the new position after the meeting. The supervisor served two and a half terms as a councilwoman before her swearing in to the top post on Tuesday. “We tend here to work very vertically — everybody is responsible for their department — and we need to work more horizontally. I think having Becky in that role, it’s going to be more efficient.”
Ms. Hansen was the East Hampton Village administrator for seven years before joining the town, initially as deputy budget officer, in 2020. Prior to working for the village, she served for three years as the Westhampton Beach Village clerk.
She will report to the supervisor, who created the town administrator position, and will remain responsible for preparing the town’s operating budget in consultation with the town’s division of finance. She is to attend town board meetings and work sessions, supervise staff in both the supervisor’s office and the division of finance, and research and make recommendations to the supervisor and town board on various matters. Her annual salary is $165,000.
The position was formalized following last Thursday’s approval of the town’s request by the Suffolk County Department of Civil Service. “Becky has nearly 25 years of experience in government service, having served as State Assemblyman Fred Thiele’s executive assistant for almost 10 years,” Ms. Burke-Gonzalez said at Tuesday’s meeting. During that time, she received her master’s degree in public policy from Stony Brook University, the supervisor said. “Having Becky assume the role of town administrator will prove to be more effective, more responsive, and more economical for taxpayers.”
In another resolution among the 91 voted on at Tuesday’s meeting, Neide Valeira was promoted to deputy budget officer on a provisional basis.
The town government has to change how it conducts its business “because the town is growing,” the supervisor said. “If we want East Hampton to remain a small town and have small-town values, we can do that and we can work together toward that,” she said. However, “this is a $95 million budget, and we need professionals helping us set policy and manage staff.” Council members “should not be micromanaging departments,” she said. Officials in the various town departments “should be coming to us when they have policy questions, when they want to add programming, but if they have a budget question, they can go to the town administrator so that they can have a sense of the whole field.”
Ms. Hansen is “the consummate professional,” Ms. Burke-Gonzalez said, “and sometimes was overseeing things that really weren’t in her purview, but she stepped in because it needed to be done, or she shared with us from her experience.” Ms. Hansen “brings a lot of breadth and experience, and we need that now.”
