Leetsdale officials have hired a longtime banker as their newest administrator.
Council voted 6-0 on Feb. 12 to hire Danielle Jarrett-Flickner of Moon Township as the borough’s full-time administrative assistant.
Councilman Roger Nanni was absent.
Jarrett-Flickner was selected out of several candidates. She has about 40 years of experience in the banking industry, including the past 3.5 years as a personal banker at Key Bank’s Sewickley branch. She worked for about 23 years at National City Bank in various roles such as teller supervisor and management. She also served at a few other financial institutions before joining National City.
The administrative assistant salary is $55,000 with no benefits.
“I enjoy working with the public,” Jarrett-Flickner said after the meeting. “After 40 years of banking, it’s time for me to look into another career. Everyone (at Leetsdale) has been amazing. I’m very excited.”
Borough Manager Janet Hardy- Miklos, who was hired in early January, said she welcomes the help as she continues to become acclimated to Leetsdale operations.
“It will be nice to have some help so I can concentrate on my job instead of trying to juggle everything,” Hardy-Miklos said.
“I think she’s very seasoned,” said Councilman Scott Zahner, who led the group that recommended the hire. “She’ll be able to help Janet out. She’ll be a good fit because she’s full time. We don’t have to shut the office down. There will always be somebody available.”
Council President Maria Napolitano also touted Jarrett- Flickner’s experience and believes she will be a great asset.
“She’s clearly a person who can do this job very well,” Napolitano said. “She has poise. She has a presence.”
Operational changes
Borough officials believe having a manager and an administrative assistant is the right combination for the office. Several changes within the past year have made this transition possible.
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.
Jennifer Simek had served as borough secretary/treasurer since January 2015. She also served as the borough’s Right-to-Know officer, which became Hardy-Miklos’ responsibility earlier this year.
Council terminated the secretary/treasurer position Jan. 5, ending Simek’s employment.
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.
Hardy-Miklos was appointed as manager after an extensive search that really took off in August.
Council approved the administrative clerk position on Nov. 13.
Borough officials said the added personnel would help ensure the office would remain staffed should the manager need sick leave, take vacations or have to travel for work.
Napolitano said she is excited about the future of the administration.
“Having an administrative assistant who will be busy with clerical tasks in the office will free the borough manager to do more long-term strategic tasks. It will free her up to do more high-level work,” Napolitano said.
The borough office is located at 373 Beaver St. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
More information about the borough is available at leetsdale boro.net.
