To the Editor:
It was brought to my attention that Supervisor Mahan, without naming us, pointed to my husband Arnis and I, as an example of nepotism in the Town of the Colonie prior to her time in office in your article “Mauriello pushes Mahan to pass anti-nepotism law” (Colonie Spotlight, June 21, 2017). It’s rather sad that the Supervisor would skew the facts to distract from her own nepotism issues and I would like The Spotlight to publish a correction.
Here are the facts, which could have easily been verified by the Supervisor by asking her husband Joe who served on the Town Board during the time of my appointment to the Tax Office. I took a test and got my first Civil Service job with the town in 1986 at the Latham Water Department. Shortly thereafter, I took another Civil Service test and transferred to the Town Assessor’s Office. After successfully completing another Civil Service Test in the Assessor’s Office, I was promoted to a Residential Property Appraiser and completed my State Certification. It was while I was working in the Assessor’s Office that I met my husband, who had been working in the Town Attorney’s Office since 1985. We were married in 1991. Both of us rose through the ranks with me ending up in the tax office, where I would be appointed to the unexpired term of my predecessor, then elected to the job I currently hold.
I currently have no other family members on the town payroll. I resent having my family’s integrity questioned by Paula Mahan’s accusations.
Sincerely,
Michele Zilgme
Head, Tax Department
Town of Colonie
