Meet Kerry Marrano, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff

If you walk into Mayor/Supervisor Ron Belmont’s office you will be greeted by the smiling face of Kerry Marrano. 

Marrano, whom the mayor refers to as his "Chief of Staff", is new to government work but has taken to the job like a duck to water. She has an impressive pedigree for the position. She completed a law degree at St. John's Law School and her last full-time position was as a law assistant to a Bronx family court judge. She and her husband have lived in Harrison since 1991, when they moved here from Manhattan to raise a family. She and husband Chip—also an attorney but in the field of construction—have three children, 19, 20 and 22, who are now all away at school.

The position in the mayor's office was suggested to her by Councilman Steve Malfitano, an old family friend and it was definitely a career swing out of left field.

“Initially I had reservations about leaving the legal field, but was intrigued with the idea of working in town government, so Steve (Malfitano) suggested I sit down and talk to Ron (Belmont),” she said.

Marrano’s first meeting with Belmont was enough to convince her that she wanted the position.

“I saw in that first meeting that Ron had fantastic vision, high octane energy, and great enthusiasm for making the changes that we all wanted to see made in town. I was really impressed with everything I saw of him,” she said.

Marrano was also impressed with the other members of the town board and their passion.

“This administration, and Ron in particular, has such enthusiasm for this town and for improving everything great we already have here," she said. "I wanted to be able to help with this sort of renaissance of Harrison. There was real optimism and hope and I just wanted to be part of it.”

In deference to Marrano’s skills and background, Belmont widened the traditional administrative duties of the role. Marrano accompanies the mayor to many meetings and even attends some committee meetings, including the Downtown Revitalization Committee, in his stead.

“There is nothing tedious about this position. One minute I will be tracking down information for residents, the next I will be liaising with different departments, the next I will be identifying issues and prioritizing critical action items and bringing Ron in as necessary,” Marrano explained.

This ability is particularly important given Belmont’s desire to spend time meeting and talking with town employees, volunteers and citizens face-to-face on an ongoing basis.

“As mayor, Ron has to be in 100 places at once and in addition to that he wants to be out meeting with everyone both inside and outside of town hall personally," she said. "My hat is off to him, he takes great care in reaching out to people. He is there to listen to the issues first hand and if he can fix your problem he’s going to fix it. He really wants to help.”

The most challenging part of the job, for Marrano, has been trying to learn the functions and needs of each department quickly so she can be most efficient.

Her favorite part of the job is the speed it moves at.

“The job is incredibly fast-paced, but that is really the part of the job I love most,” she said with a laugh.

Marrano gets into work at around 8:45 a.m. so she has fifteen minutes to set up before town hall officially opens at 9 a.m. She handles phone calls, reviews e-mail messages, takes minutes at meetings, is a member of committees and works first-hand with every department and each of the volunteers and citizens who come through the mayor's door.

While town hall officially closes at 5 p.m. Marrano will also come back in for evening board meetings and other events as needed.

“I love learning all about the operation of the town. I'm surprised by just how much I really enjoy every minute of it,” she said.

Marrano’s enthusiasm and commitment is evident in everything she does and the way she does it. According to Marrano, it springs from a real love of the town.

"I love this town and everything it offers and I don’t ever want to leave Harrison," she said. "I’m invested here and this is where I want to grow old. To be part of adding to something that I love and care about through this job is a real privilege and pleasure.”

Marrano’s hope is that through her new position she can play a part in attracting new families to the town, who will experience that same appreciation and love of Harrison she has.

“When I first moved to Harrison I was so thrilled to be here—I loved the beautiful neighborhoods, great schools, terrific recreation opportunities and the real sense of community," she said. "My hope is that it retains all those qualities I fell in love with so long ago, while becoming even better over time, and that new families will have the opportunity to see and feel that same experience and even more for themselves and their families in the future. I'm excited to play a part in that.”