NHP Village Recognizes Staff Member

The New Hyde Park board held their last meeting of the year Tuesday night to discuss regular business and recognize an admirable staff member.

Mayor Daniel Petruccio announced the “pleasant task” of recognizing administrative assistant Debbie Malhotra for her outstanding work in the village.

“We had a request made by several people that we honor this individual tonight and we’re very thrilled to have with us one of our own—who as of just recently  switched to a different position in the village and taking on new responsibilities and done it with a smile,” Petruccio said. “We couldn’t be happier to have with us Debbie Malhotra.”

Malhotra accepted a plaque describing the village’s admiration towards her and she was very thankful for the honor.

 “Debbie is so deserving of this award and she makes all of us kind of good-looking, which is impossible,” trustee Don Barbieri joked. “She is such a wonderful person…I don’t know what life would be like without [her], she really is a wonderful staffer.”

Petruccio explained that as many significant modifications were made and two staff members retired, there was a huge hole that the board felt Malhotra would be right to fill.

“We had Debbie working at the front desk and with the initiative of Tom Gannon [Superintendent of the Department of Public Works] we put her in the position to work directly with Tom and handle all the resident phone calls and tree removals and garbage pickups and keeping track of the financial numbers — just an untold amount of things,” Petruccio said. “And doing it with a smile and a pleasant approach to our residents…we thought it was very appropriate to honor Debbie for those actions,” Petruccio said.