NEW ROCHELLE, NY (November 29, 2022) — The City Council voted unanimously 6-0 at a Special Meeting today to appoint Kathleen Gill as the New Rochelle City Manager effective January 1, 2023. Council Member Sara Kaye did not attend the meeting.
Gill is currently serving as Chief of Staff, Corporation Counsel and Assistant City Manager. She has served as Corporation Counsel after a brief stint as General Counsel for Iona College (now Iona University).
Council Member Martha Lopez: “Well, first of all, I want to thank all of my colleagues here and it was a very exciting time for all of us to make sure that our city prospers and that we move forward to make it the best decision ever. And it is with great pride that I cast my vote for Kathleen Gill who I know will do an excellent job. She has the knowledge, experience, and the heart to make sure that our city will continue to prosper and I and I know that we are all going to be very happy with our decision.”
Council Member Al Tarantino: “I’m very excited to cast my vote for Kathleen Gill. I can’t think of anybody better to serve as our new city manager. Her experience as the Corporation Council, Interim Development Commissioner, the Chief of Staff Deputy City Manager. There’s nobody in this building that has more knowledge than she does. And I think what it does is it allows as we’re moving through the development process in New Rochelle. It gives us a continuity and consistency that it’s important to send the message to the public and to the developers that are working in our city, that things that will continue to move forward. Very excited about this and I feel that she will do an outstanding job.”
Yadira Ramos-Herbert: “I have a few words for you. I’ll say this as a city we have so much to be proud of. And obviously your leadership and the different roles is described as part of a lot of the progress, especially as we talk about our downtown development. There are instances where I speak with leaders from other municipalities and receive a ton of compliments about the Renaissance our downtown is undergoing. We have accomplished so much and have the foundation to continue to accomplish what many other municipalities can only dream of. With all of the positive —— we as a city go do have a tremendous amount of still work to still do. I’m referring to proactively addressing all our environmental issues to essentially making sure that all of our residents see themselves reflected in the city staff and ensuring that we proactively support some of the most vulnerable in our community. I also think we need to be intentional and proactively engage in communication to and from the community and make sure that we don’t only communicate to but receive information from and are responsive in our feedback. However, I with that said, I’m voting yes to support you in your role as city manager. I see the city manager and the city staff and the council as a team. I’m committed to partnering with you as part of that team and move our city forward. But also in this vote, know that I will continue to advocate for the aforementioned and hold our team accountable for the achievement of these important policies and measures. But I genuinely look forward to working with you in this new chapter for us.”
Council Member Ivar Hyden: “I guess one of the things I was struck by when we interviewed several people, which we did and one of them were interesting people with different qualifications is that they all started out the conversation by saying how amazing New Rochelle is and how much they would like to come to New Rochelle because everything’s working so well in it and I thought that was kind of telling. Which is not to say that there are things that we need to work forward on. There certainly are. But I was struck by that. And I thought, well, you know, the responsibility for that is with our current City Manager with the current city council, and with the staff and Kathleen has been such an important part of that staff for so many years and all of her different roles. And I know her personally to be honest and transparent and straightforward, and I very much respect that. So I’m very happy to cast my vote for Kathleen Gill, and I’m looking forward to working with you over the next year at least and then we’ll see. We’ll see what happens after that but it’s my pleasure to welcome you as the new City Manager.
Council Member Sara Kaye: Absent
Council Member Liz Fried: “My vote is yes, it has been a an honor to work shoulder to shoulder with Kathleen for over seven years and she is the best thing for New Rochelle and the best thing for the future, as Al said, continuity in our downtown development projects is critical. No one knows the insides and outsides of the city the way Kathleen does. So welcome to the team and I couldn’t be happier.”
Mayor Noam Bramson: “I’ve known Kathleen for 27 years and I’ve consistently impressed by her intellect, her energy and her determination to get things done. She has been a valuable asset to city government with as we know progressively larger responsibilities and an unmatched depth and breadth of knowledge about industrial challenges and opportunities. For these reasons Kathleen is well positioned to extend New Rochelle’s positive progress on multiple fronts. I look forward to working with her to ensure that the coming year, her first as City Manager and my last as Mayor, but it’s a successful one, both for the leadership team and for our community as well. And with that I vote yes. The vote is six to nothing in favor. Congratulations Miss Gill on your new (applause).”
“I am thrilled that the City Council has appointed Kathleen Gill as our next City Manager,” said New Rochelle City Manager Chuck Strome. “Kathleen has served at my side for many years as Corporation Counsel, Chief of Staff and Deputy City Manager and has the experience and expertise to lead the City into the future. She has earned the respect of our staff as well as many community partners. I wish her the best of success in the years ahead.”
“I am honored to be selected as our next City Manager,” said Kathleen Gill. “New Rochelle is dynamic, inclusive and forward-looking. I have always been grateful for the privilege of working and raising my family here. I look forward to continuing to advance the important initiatives already underway at Chuck’s direction and to build on this strong foundation. I’m thrilled to work collaboratively with and serve alongside Council, staff and our community partners as we make our New Rochelle the best it can be. I know the future is bright for our great city.”
The Council’s selection completes a nationwide recruitment process that included interviews with multiple candidates. GovHR the recruiting firm hired by the City Council received 45 inquiries, 39 formally applied, 10 made first round. There were 5 finalists.
Executive Recruitment Brochure
Kathleen Gill began her legal career with a private litigation firm and in 1995 was appointed Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of New Rochelle. She was promoted to Deputy Corporation Counsel in 1997, serving as legal adviser to the Planning and Zoning Boards and City staff on zoning and development issues, and was promoted to Corporation Counsel in November 2009.
In 2013, Ms. Gill joined Iona College. In her position as General Counsel and Secretary to the Board of Trustees, she managed the legal operations of the College and provided support and advice to the President and Board of Trustees on a broad range of issues. Ms. Gill was appointed as the City of New Rochelle’s Chief of Staff/Corporation Counsel in September, 2015. From 2021-2022 she additionally served as Interim Development Commissioner. She was appointed Deputy City Manager in March 2022.
Ms. Gill earned her undergraduate degree in Government from Skidmore College, an MS in Urban Planning and Environmental Studies from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a JD degree and Environmental Certificate from Pace University School of Law, where she was an editor on the Environmental Law Review. She is currently a member of the New York State and New Rochelle Bar Associations.
Gill will succeed City Manager Charles B. Strome who began his career with the City of New Rochelle in 1989 rising from Director of Emergency Services to Assistant City Manager/City Coordinator to Deputy City Manager to Acting City Manager. He became City Manager in November 2002.
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