Looking back on his first year as the supervisor of the Town of Wallkill in Orange County, George Serrano said he felt good to have restored a sense of respect and professionalism at the top.
Shortly before the November election last year, damaging reports of workplace harassment under former Supervisor Frank DenDanto surfaced, and calls for his resignation grew.
Serrano had promised to repair the damage, first by coming to work in a suit and tie almost daily.
“Dressing properly is the first step,” Serrano said. “And I was taught as a kid by my father—you don’t talk down to people, you don’t treat them badly, and definitely, you shouldn’t be raising your voice.”
Prior to the supervisor role, he worked as a police officer and detective for more than 25 years in White Plains, Westchester County, and that experience also taught him much about respect, he added.
Public Safety
As a former cop, Serrano had run on the public safety platform to strengthen the police force and keep the town safe.Last September, the town police department hired seven officers, who will be graduating in the coming weeks and joining the patrol force, he said.
Serrano also increased the number of budgeted officers by two, from 49 to 51, in the 2023 town budget; the department still has a few vacancies to fill, he added.
Last year, Wallkill had four homicides. During the previous five years, between 2017 and 2021, the town had zero murders, according to data from the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services.
Of the four homicides in 2022, one was a murder-suicide incident between Port Jervis and Wurtsboro residents following a traffic accident in Wallkill; two were stabbing deaths, with one allegedly committed by a City of Middletown resident; the fourth was the death of a 3-year-old boy due to blunt force trauma.
All four homicides were solved with suspects in custody.
“[Our police] have done a phenomenal job on solving the homicides in our town. They’ve taken the time to do investigation correctly, to dot the i’s and cross the t’s,” he said.
He said the growing town population likely contributed to the rising crime, adding that he has full confidence in Wallkill Police Chief Robert Hertman.
“I do not know what was in the minds of these individuals who committed these crimes, and I hope that as people, we can better respect and not hurt others,” he said.
Last year, Serrano restarted the police academy so community kids can learn more about the policing profession from officers and other first responders.
He also increased the budget of the Police Youth Coalition by almost five times in 2023 so more activities can be held to engage and benefit young people in the community.
Town Finance
About six months into the job, he was met with one of the biggest challenges of the year—the departure of the former town comptroller and deputy comptroller.“I had to go right in and learn fast the job, making sure the bills and employees were paid on time and starting the budget process, all while being the supervisor,” he said.
The town soon hired new deputy comptroller Cheryl Gross and comptroller Lucrezia Anderson, who started working in July 2022 and September 2022, respectively.
“We didn’t lose a beat. We got it done, and we moved forward,” Serrano said. “One thing I’m most proud of for the past year is that I was able to keep the town running when my comptroller left.”
There were media reports about former comptroller Toni Tracy leaving the post amid a state audit of the town’s finances, but Serrano disputed the causal link.
He said Tracy had approached him about leaving for a better offer elsewhere prior to the state audit, though he had no knowledge of her new employer.
Serrano added that he welcomed the audit by the state comptroller’s office, which is expected to publish a report on a particular aspect of the town finance later this year.
“If something has been done incorrectly, tell me what I can do better to help the town move forward because it is taxpayers’ money, not my money,” he said.
Since he came into office, Serrano has already improved several past town financial practices based on recommendations of an operation review report by law firm O’Connor Davies.
For example, he improved the procurement process, requiring his approval for most purchases; he decreased the number of credit cards in employees’ hands and is working toward putting all town transactions within one banking system, he said.
The independent review was initiated in 2021 by former Supervisor DenDanto, who said at the time that he had major concerns about the town’s financial practices, according to local media reports.
For the 2023 budget, Serrano proposed keeping the tax levy at the same level as the past year, even though the town takes on a bigger spending plan, partly by using fund balance money.
“We didn’t want to raise taxes with what’s going on in the economy,” he said. “The fund balance is taxpayer’s money, so why not use some of it to help alleviate if we have it?”
Development
Serrano said he likes to call Wallkill a “big little town” because it is a small town with a population of about 30,000 yet with a lot of developments going on.One reason why developers favor the town is that it is close to major highways, such as New York State Route 17 and Interstate 84, he said.
In recent years, quite a few warehouse developments came to town, with several more in planning; the same goes for large-scale apartment projects.
In November 2022, the five-member town board approved a six-month moratorium on warehouses.
The board consists of Serrano and four town councilmen.
“We are not against warehouses and distribution centers, but there are so many different pieces we have to look at,” Serrano said. “Let’s halt and take a step back to look at the whole picture.”
That picture includes roads, traffic, water, sewer, and the town’s character, he said.
“We are right in the middle, and everyone wants to come here. That is great,” he said. “We just have to be smart for not only the developers, but also for the residents.”
One aspect of smart development is to balance growth with preserving open space, he added.
Born and raised in the Bronx, Serrano said he had moved to Orange County to get a break from a developed city full of bricks and mortars.
“I enjoy the greenery and seeing the animals in the wild, and we need to preserve that,” he said.
Community
In the past year, the town celebrated its 250th anniversary with a birthday party in April 2022.“There is a lot of rich history in the town, and I embrace that,” he said. “It was a very well-attended night, and we had success in the event.”
Serrano also made it a practice to recognize community members at the town board meetings, including community leaders, firefighters, police officers, veterans, students, and small-business members.
“Our community is growing. Some people just moved here and don’t know what’s going on in town,” he said. “We try to just have another channel to showcase our community to the residents.
“We have a lot of big businesses on Route 211, the big box companies, but we also have a lot of small businesses, and they are the drivers of our economy, too.”
To honor veterans, the town secured state funding last year to finish the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Memorial Park.
“I am just blessed and humbled that I was elected,” he said. “What I enjoy most about the job is helping the community, and that has been my focus from day one.”
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