Municipal_Agent Resigns, Endorses Secretary

By Kaaren Valenta

Ailsa Awalt, the town’s new municipal agent for the elderly, resigned last Friday, saying there wasn’t enough work for three people in the town’s Social Services Department.

Mrs Awalt, who worked 30 hours a week in her position, recommended to First Selectman Herb Rosenthal that Ann Piccini, who has been the social services secretary for 10 years, take over her duties and serve as an assistant to Social Services Director Glynis Lanzetta.

“Ann is very good, very professional,” Mrs Awalt said. “She knows all the programs, knows all the forms, knows all the facets of the job. She handled everything for the 10 months when the town didn’t have a social services director and a municipal agent. I recommended that [First Selectman] Herb Rosenthal give her the job.”

Mr Rosenthal said he thought that would be a good idea.

“We haven’t worked out the details yet, but Ann will become the assistant director or administrator and will do most of the municipal agent’s work, under Glynis’ supervision,” he said this week. “Ann will do a lot of the case management work and we will probably hire a receptionist/ secretary for lesser hours.”

“A lot of the elderly liked working with Ann,” Mr Rosenthal said. “Maybe she was overqualified to be just the secretary because she has been here so long. She can fill in and do almost everything.”

Mr Rosenthal said he had spoken with Eugene Marks, director of the Commission on Aging, and he approved of the proposed change. The salaries for the positions have not yet been set.

 Mrs Awalt had served as municipal agent since October 12. Glynis Lanzetta began her duties as social services director on December 13. The appointments came after almost a year spent by town officials and members of a committee evaluating social service needs in town and deciding how the department should be staffed. In the end, the committee and municipal officials opted to hire both a social worker and a municipal agent.    

A resident of Danbury, Mrs Awalt had 21 years of experience in the field, the last six as senior guardianship advocate at the Westchester Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC) in White Plains, N.Y. She declined to say where she is now working.

The Social Service Department’s responsibilities include social casework for individuals and families and acting as the liaison to local and state social service agencies. The department provides services to approximately 80 individuals a month. During the holidays, from November to January, the number usually swells to 150 families.