Leetsdale is under new borough management.
Council voted 6-0 on Jan. 5 to hire Janet Hardy-Miklos as its new borough manager.
Councilman Robert Benedict was absent.
Hardy-Miklos, a resident of Vanport Township in Beaver County, officially started the following day. She takes over for longtime borough secretary/treasurer Jennifer Simek.
The new manager said her first priority is getting acclimated to her new surroundings.
“It’s very challenging coming in not knowing what’s what,” Hardy-Miklos said a week into the job. “I’m finding it very interesting, and every day’s a new day. Everyone’s been very nice and very supportive to a fault, everyone. People on the phone, the employees. (The job is) very community-oriented.”
She said she looks forward to meeting residents and working for and with them.
Council also voted 6-0 on Jan. 5 to eliminate the secretary/treasurer position, ending Simek’s employment.
Borough officials looked into hiring a manager for the better part of last year. They had considered having Allegheny League of Municipalities do the search before partnering with Strategic Solutions LLC in August at a cost not to exceed $7,000.
Council president Maria Napolitano said Hardy-Miklos was selected out of a handful of qualified candidates because of her wealth of knowledge and experience.
“We have talked to all five applicants in detail, verified their qualifications, and out of everybody we talked to, Janet was the best,” Napolitano said. “We are glad to have a borough manger on our team now.
“This will allow us to go beyond the day-to-day work of the office and the borough administration, to tackle bigger projects in the form of general planning for them. We are especially looking for Janet to be a big help for us in grant writing and fund acquisition to continue funding projects of urgent priority.”
Projects include park improvements, road improvements and main street-type initiatives designed to improve quality of life.
The manager will also be involved in developing strategic and capital improvement plans, employee supervision, review of vendor contracts and other tasks.
Councilman James DeGori said he is excited to have Hardy-Miklos manage departments including public works.
“I’m going to be able to concentrate on other things than trying to help run the road department,” DeGori said. “That’s what I was currently doing.”
The borough has two public works laborers, foreman Bobby Ford and supervisor Doug Ford (no relation to each other).
Manager background
Hardy-Miklos grew up in Daugherty Township and graduated from New Brighton High School in 1980.
She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in foreign service and international politics from Penn State University, and a master’s in public affairs from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
She said she wanted to become a diplomat for the United Nations before taking an interest in municipal management.
Her passions include networking, seeking knowledge and problem solving.
“There are very intelligent people out there who have already done what you’re trying to do,” Hardy-Miklos said. “Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Go out and find out who has the answer. Ask a lot of questions. It’s more about finding the knowledge that is already out there through networking and asking questions. You never know what somebody knows until you ask.”
Hardy-Miklos served as Economy Borough Municipal Authority manager, Harmony Township manager and manager for Main Street Management prior to coming to Leetsdale.
Administrative changes
Leetsdale had not had a borough manager since January 2012, when the top administrator at the time, Paul Scimio, was ousted after a few years and Elizabeth Petalino returned to her role as secretary/treasurer.
Since then, the top borough administrator has held the title of secretary/treasurer.
Petalino retired at the end of 2014 after serving the borough for more than 20 years.
Simek had served as borough secretary/treasurer since January 2015. She also served as the borough’s Right-to-Know officer.
Hardy-Miklos was appointed the borough’s Right-to-Know officer Jan. 8.
Borough officials said Simek’s final salary was about $78,000. The new manager’s salary is about $90,000.
“We acknowledge Jen Simek’s 11 years of service with the borough and wish her all the best in her future endeavors,” Napolitano said.
DeGori echoed Napolitano’s comments. He also noted the manager position has a larger scope of responsibilities and required someone with more experience.
The new manager hiring is the latest in several administrative moves as part of an office reorganization led by Councilman Scott Zahner, finance and organization administration committee chair.
Council in July voted to eliminate a part-time office clerk position. Officials at the time said the move had nothing to do with the clerk’s performance.
Borough officials budgeted $47,000 for a new administrative assistant position this year.
Council approved the position on Nov. 13. Napolitano said the search for that employee is ongoing.
Borough office hours remained the same. More information about Leetsdale activities and organization is available at leetsdaleboro.net.
“We’re looking forward to a productive year,” Napolitano said.