Sam Gurwitt Photo
Former Deputy Finance Director Rick Galarza, Assistant Superintendent Chris Melillo, and Interim Finance Director Myron Hul.
Another finance post has become vacant in Hamden Town Hall.
The latest vacancy is for deputy finance director, a post Rick Galarza has left.
Hamden, which is wrestling with long-term finance challenges, also has no permanent finance chief. Myron Hul took the job on a temporary basis a few months ago while a search proceeds.
On Monday, Hamden’s Personnel Department sent out a notice announcing a competition for the deputy finance director position. Galarza came to Hamden in November of 2017, according to his LinkedIn account. A few months later, in June of 2018, Finance Director Salvatore DeCola left, leaving Galarza to fulfill the duties of both deputy finance director and finance director. He effectively headed the Finance Department for over a year, throughout the entire 2019 – 2020 budget deliberation process.
At the beginning of August, Mayor Curt Leng tapped Myron Hul, a longtime Board of Education member, and formerly a member of the Legislative Council, as interim finance director.
Then, on Oct. 1, Galarza handed in his resignation notice. “I’ve greatly enjoyed an appreciated the opportunities I’ve had over the past two years in completing the town’s audit, administrating the financial system, managing the budget process, closing out the fiscal year, reporting monthly and annual on the financial position of the town, implementing and automating on-line payments,” Galarza wrote in his resignation notice. His last day was Oct. 15.
“I though [Galarza] did a terrific job while he was with us,” said Councilman Jim Pascarella. “I thought he really stepped up.”
Galarza did not respond to a request for comment for this article.
Galarza’s departure leaves the town with two positions to fill in the department. Hul told the Independent that his plans have not changed since he took the position: He intends to remain in the position only temporarily, until a permanent finance director has been chosen.
He said that turnover in a department can make running the department difficult.
“Institutional knowledge is significantly important in any organization,” he told the Independent.
On the other hand, he said, turnover in a department “allows you to reexamine what you’re doing and how it’s getting done.”
Leng said that the town has already received a few applications for the finance director position.
Everyone wants to get off Leng's sinking ship!!! This is the perfect opportunity for the new mayor, Jay Kaye, to hire someone that will aid him in his vision to right the ship that Leng has capsized with debt.