Fast Chat: Greenport Village administrator Paul Pallas
Paul Pallas of Manorville officially began his new role as Greenport Village administrator two weeks ago.
Following a “great first day,” Mr. Pallas is settling into the newly formed position, which — in addition to taking on the workload of village administrator — includes the responsibilities of the village utilities director.
Mr. Pallas, who has more than 30 years’ electric and gas utility experience, said he is currently devoting much of his attention to the village’s ongoing electric plant upgrades.
On Monday, Mr. Pallas discussed the electric plant, the position and his goals as village administrator.
Q: What drew you to Greenport?
A: I have lived on Long Island my entire life and I’ve always enjoyed coming out to Greenport. My family vacationed here and I was lucky because it’s a great town. There is always so much going on here. It is quaint and it has a lot of charm.
Q: How did you spend your first two weeks on the job?
A: Trying to find a desk. It is a new position. It was really about getting to know everybody and understand the organization and structure — who reports to who, that kind of thing. I’m at the stage now where I’m starting to get a handle on the projects.
Q: What are your goals in office?
A: The number one goal right now is to really get a handle on the major projects — specifically, the electric utilities. There are a lot of little pieces to the project and I really need to understand how they all fit into the whole operation of the utility. I have a lot of experience in that area. One of the biggest things for the electric plant is how it interfaces with the New York State grid. That is a very complicated process. It is difficult for many small utilities throughout the state — not just Greenport. I am the president of the New York Association of Public Power, so I deal with these things on a statewide basis. I can be helpful in this area.
Q: Is there anything else you hope to achieve?
A: I am trying to identify [other areas of improvement].There is some opportunity to restructure they way things are organized, maybe streamline some functions to make it a little easier for residents and businesses. Another goal is to make sure the public is informed.
Q: What do you think Greenport’s greatest asset is?
A: The electric and sewer plants. It is hard to discern which has a greater benefit. From what I can see, having its own sewer system is what made Greenport. And adding the electric utility was just icing on the cake. Both of those are the two biggest assets to the village — in addition to Mitchell Park and docks.
