New General Manager selected for city of Watervliet

WATERVLIET, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The City of Watervliet has appointed a new General Manager after about 30 days of not having one, per Watervliet Mayor Charles Patricelli. Melissa Cherubino is the first ever female General Manager of Watervliet.

City general managers are in charge of daily operations, including scheduling maintenance like fixing potholes in the city, handling matters with police and firefighters, and hiring people to work for the city government. In a phone call with NEWS10, Mayor Patricelli said he is looking forward to Cherubino taking on this role as going without a general manager was putting strain on other staff.

Mayor Patricelli also told NEWS10 that there were over 20 applications put in for the role, which was narrowed down to nine interviews. This was then narrowed down to the final three, and Cherubino was found to be the most qualified for the role.

Cherubino got her juris doctorate from Albany Law School and her master's degree in public administration from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany. She is an attorney who spent the last 18 years addressing issues facing local governments and managing municipal staff.

“The city council and I are eager to work with Melissa,” Mayor Patricelli said. “She has the experience, knowledge and ideas in how to improve a small city, runs its day-to-day operations while also keeping it financially responsible.