The Board of Selectmen appointed a new chief building official and hired two new administrative assistants during a recent meeting.
RJ Scofield, Patch Staff
NEW CANAAN, CT — The Board of Selectmen appointed a new chief building official and hired two new administrative assistants during a recent meeting.
Scott Becker was appointed to the chief building official position for a four-year term after being appointed to an interim position back in November.
Human Resources Personnel Director Cheryl Pickering-Jones said during the Feb. 25 board meeting Becker has "worked out very well" in his current position and wanted to move him into a permanent role.
First Selectman Dionna Carlson agreed Becker, who has been with the town since 2021, has "worked out great" in his current position.
His appointment was unanimously approved by all four board members.
Find out what's happening in New Canaanfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Board of Selectmen also unanimously approved the hiring of Linda Sidani and Nicole Barrett as new administrative assistants to the tax collector and assessor respectively.
Pickering-Jones noted Sebastian Caldarella will assume the role of the town's new director of assessments and taxation following the departure of Collector of Taxes Rosanna DiPanni at the end of February.
The board previously approved Caldarella's appointment to the new position back in early January.
According to Pickering-Jones, part of the town's agreement over putting Caldarella in charge of both departments entailed having one part-time assistant in each office.
Selectman Amy Murphy Carroll asked how many hours were required for each position, which Pickering-Jones noted was "less than 19."
Carlson also noted there are currently two administrative assistants in both offices for when Caldarella is not present.
Pickering-Jones said the town is currently working with Caldarella to determine what hours will work best for the two part-time positions with the two administrative assistants already in each office.
"It's really to cover lunches," Pickering-Jones said, "they'll be here when people are on vacation, to cover that type of stuff."
Pickering-Jones said Sidani has "great customer service experience" and is a critical thinker with strong communication, organization and computer skills.
She also noted Barrett, who previously worked as administrative assistant for the city of Stamford, is "very detailed-oriented" and has good customer service and computer skills.
"We would like to have them both start in those offices to assist when [Caldarella] takes over," Pickering-Jones said.
Jones noted the town received 32 applications for the positions and interviewed nine, then picked Sidani and Barrett from that pool.
Caldarella and DiPanni were both involved in deciding which of the two part-time employees would work in which office, according to Pickering-Jones.
"They came in and got involved in the interview," Pickering-Jones said, "and really looked at both set of skills and personalities and figured out which one would fit better."