Office of Borough President James P. Molinaro
Staten Island, New York
Borough President Molinaro names new Executive Assistant
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Borough President James P. Molinaro today announced that he has appointed Director of Administration Lillian L. Lagazzo to the post of Executive Assistant.
Ms. Lagazzo, 57, succeeds Edward Burke, who was appointed Deputy Borough President last year. Burke replaced Dan Donovan, who left Borough Hall to become District Attorney in 2004. The position of Executive Assistant is mandated by the City Charter, which provides that in the absence of the Borough President and the Deputy Borough President, the Executive Assistant can act on their behalf.
A Borough Hall staffer for 11 years, Ms. Lagazzo most recently served as Director of Administration, a post she will retain along with her new position. A career civil servant, Ms. Lagazzo came to Borough Hall in 1996 after serving 25 years at the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, where she started as a secretary and worked her way up to Executive Assistant to the Commissioner.
“With her wealth of experience, Lillian was the obvious choice,” said Molinaro. “She is a person of vast knowledge, intelligence, and dedication. And most important for an administrator and manager, she is fair and firm. I can’t think of anyone better suited for the job of Executive Assistant.”
Ms. Lagazzo, who holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of New Rochelle, describes her job as “an air traffic controller on the ground. I was planning on retiring two years ago on my 55th birthday, but the Borough President wouldn’t hear of it. And I’m glad I stayed, because it’s not just a job, it’s a family. I’m pleased that the Borough President has expressed such confidence in me to help him pursue his second-term agenda to benefit the people of Staten Island.”
A passionate animal lover, Ms. Lagazzo resides in Grant City with the two cats she inherited from former Borough President Guy V. Molinari, “Little BP,” 12, and “Mama Cat,” 14.
February 6, 2007