Deputy Manager Steve Pappalardo to Succeed Al Gatta as Village Manager

Now that Al Gatta has decided to retire, what's in store for the leadership of Scarsdale Village? We spoke to Scarsdale Mayor Bob Steves who shared the news that Gatta was retiring and offered information on succession plans.

Speaking about Gatta, Mayor Steves said, "We are losing a real good man. Al approached the job with the utmost professionalism. He understood the non-partisan mindset of the community and followed that mindset in the way that he staffed and led – all to the real advantage of the village."

Steves continued, "Al pays attention to the voices of the village trustees and residents and is on top of the community. He brought experienced professional judgment to the job. Gatta's professionalism shows itself in the quality of the senior staff and department heads and in the way all the village departments deal with the public."

We asked Mayor Steves why Al decided to retire this year and Steves replied, "He simply thought it was time to pursue other interests. The decision came as a surprise to me. There was no particular event or situation behind it... he just felt it was an appropriate time to move on and give Steve an opportunity to move up."

According to Steves, when Gatta told him he planned to retire Gatta quickly shared his thoughts on the process for finding his replacement. Though the village could conduct a nationwide search for a new manager, Gatta believed that the best candidate for the job was Deputy Village Manager Steve Pappalardo. Due to his tenure with the village and his training under Gatta, Al thought that Scarsdale would be best served by promoting Steve to the top spot and running a search for a new deputy manager.

But before making a decision, Mayor Steves convened a meeting of the former mayors of Scarsdale to hear their views on the pros and cons of promoting Pappalardo, an internal candidate. Mayor Steves happily reported that all the former mayors agreed that Steve Pappalardo was the best choice.

But their vote was not enough. The decision to select a village manager lies in the hands of the current Scarsdale Board of Trustees. A private session of the Board of Trustees was held to interview Pappalardo, At the conclusion of their discussions, the Board was unanimous in their decision to appoint Pappalardo as village manager.

In an email to village staff, Gatta announced his departure and Pappalardo's promotion saying, "I am pleased to inform you that Steve Pappalardo has been favorably considered as my successor. I trust that you will support Steve and make his time as manager rewarding as you have done for me over the years."