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Tuckahoe's First Village Administrator Hits The Ground Running

EASTCHESTER, N.Y. – History was made in Eastchester on Wednesday, July 23, as David Burke spent his first day in Tuckahoe as its first ever village administrator.

David Burke, the first ever Tuckahoe village administrator.

David Burke, the first ever Tuckahoe village administrator.

Burke, 33, who comes to Tuckahoe after serving eight years as the Rye Brook assistant village administrator, will be responsible for running the village’s day-to-day operations and meeting with Mayor Steve Ecklond and the Board of Trustees on a weekly basis for updates.

Last year, the village’s Citizen’s Budget Advisory Committee advised the trustees that a full-time administrator could be beneficial in Tuckahoe, where the mayor is a part-time position. Funds were set aside in this year’s $11.5 million budget for hiring a village administrator.

“The need for a village administrator has become very, very apparent in the past year,” Ecklond said. “Our new administrator is going to have day-to-day control over all functions of village government and its operation.”

Timing was fortuitous for Tuckahoe trustees, who thought they had identified a suitable candidate for the position before having to reboot their search at the last minute. At the same time, Bronxville was in the process of searching for former Village Administrator Harry Porr’s replacement, and were able to “ride on their coattails in the interview process.”

In all, the trustees selected and interviewed six finalists before settling on Burke.

“The stars were really aligned for us. We had a village administrator in place, and then had to begin a new search and we were able to piggyback on the recruitment that was performed in Bronxville,” Trustee Greg Luisi said. “We were provided with a wonderful pool of candidates.”

Trustee Stephen Quigley observed that Burke is facing a unique challenge as the first ever village manager.

“He’s taking on a daunting task. There’s no playbook we can give him about how to be a village administrator in Tuckahoe,” he said. “We’ve never had one, and (Burke) wasn’t phased or intimidated, he was excited to make his mark on the village.”

Burke, who has been active in the village since being chosen, despite his contract not taking effect until Wednesday, called the position a “dream,” and expressed excitement about building the position from the ground up in Tuckahoe.

“This has been the dream since I got out of school and since I became the assistant village administrator in Rye Brook. Meeting everyone here and getting to know the community sold me on Tuckahoe,” he said. “I cannot wait to form the position and do the best I can for the village.”

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