Gabrielle McKay was sworn in as the East Hampton Village clerk at the village board’s July 30 meeting to close the fiscal year, her promotion from deputy clerk coming just two and a half years after arriving at Village Hall as an office assistant.
At 27, the East Hampton High School graduate is among the youngest of municipal clerks. A sociology major at the State University at Geneseo, she said that the writing that discipline required helped prepare her for work at Village Hall.
“I do the minutes for the meeting,” she said of the village board. She is also secretary for the zoning board of appeals, the design review board, and the planning board. “It’s not just the minutes,” she said. “I’m also maintaining the record for each application that goes before each board. I get the meetings ready, set the agenda, and communicate with board members about new submissions. On top of that, I’m managing the clerk’s office and also help with the customer service as well — the phones, helping the public with beach permits.”
She ushers new legislation through the approval process, issuing notice of new local laws and, once they are adopted, submitting them to the state. She also coordinates the public bidding process in which subcontractors submit proposals for work on government projects.
“In addition, Gabby maintains the village website (now continuously being updated and enhanced) and is a source of in-house graphic design,” according to her bio on the village’s website. “Gabby brings to Village Hall valuable knowledge about the business district, having been an assistant manager at Lululemon — a job which honed her flair for efficiency.”
At Geneseo, she was a member of the track and field team. “I think it helps with my management, prioritizing, and decision making,” she said. More recently, she attended the 2025 New York State Municipal Clerks Institute in Albany, organized by the State Town Clerks Association and the State Association of City and Village Clerks’ planning and education committee.
“When Pamela Bennett announced her retirement, I knew I had big shoes to fill — and quickly,” Marcos Baladron, the village administrator, said in an email. At the time, Ms. McKay had been with the village just six months as a counter clerk, he said, “but I saw something in her. I reviewed over 35 résumés and interviewed several highly experienced candidates, yet I kept coming back to the thought that Gabby could be a great village clerk one day, she just needed some more time.”
With the clerk’s position vacant, Mr. Baladron appointed Ms. McKay deputy clerk “to see how she would manage the role,” he said. “Over the last year and a half, she has done a remarkable job overseeing the clerk’s office and managing our appointed boards — Z.B.A., D.R.B., and planning. She has earned the respect of her co-workers, the trust of our residents, and has the temperament and character that the position demands.”
“My instincts were right — and I’m taking full credit!” he said. “Gabby is exactly the kind of dedicated, capable leader our village needs.”
“I do like all of it,” Ms. McKay said of the job, “and every day is different. There’s always something new to learn. I do really like helping the public.”
