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Port Chester has been without a clerk since the summer when Janusz Richards resigned. Assistant Village Clerk Vita Sileo has been filling in. Eager to get the office of the clerk back to normal, Thomas was sworn in on Nov. 3, by Sileo and Rye Town Clerk Hope Vespia.
Previously, Thomas worked as a consultant with the Town of Rye for six years.
“I’ll have to get used to saying 'the Village' instead of 'the Town,' Thomas joked.
Thomas didn’t have the opportunity to give the town notice. He’s been putting in two hours a day for the town to transition and then working his eight hours daily for the village.
Luckily for Thomas, both entities are at 222 Grace Church St. A notable task for the new village clerk will be gearing up for the elections of village trustees next March.
All six seats are up for election and will be selected via the cumulative voting system put in place by decree from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Thomas was selected from a starting pool of 90 applicants. Port Chester Mayor Dennis Pilla called the search exhaustive. Village Trustee Dan Brakewood talked about how he “had the pleasure of working with Dave while working on the Tools for Change program” that Thomas administered for the Town of Rye.
Trustee Sam Terenzi also spoke of the positive relationship he developed with Thomas as accountant for the Town of Rye.
“You are now the face of the community,” said Terenzi. Thomas was formally sworn in by Pilla at the Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 16.
Thomas and his wife, Joan, have lived in Port Chester since 1989. His wife is a community advisor for Daily Voice.
He also will continue his work with the African American Cemetery in Rye.
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