The Legislature this week confirmed a pair of appointments by County Executive William Steinhaus, giving the nod to Ronald Wozniak as county attorney and Pamela Barrack as the county’s commissioner of finance. The pair replace Ian MacDonald and Rita Brannen, respectively, who will both retire this summer.
“This is an exciting time in my administration,” Steinhaus said in a press release. “We of course will miss the dedication and quality of our retiring department heads, but I think we have made some good choices in their replacements who will serve county government well as we move forward.”
Wozniak, a Pawling resident, has served as senior assistant county attorney under MacDonald for the past eight years. With degrees from Johns Hopkins University and New York University Law School, he worked at the Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center and served as a town justice in Pawling for many years before coming to work for the county.
Wozniak said he looked forward to his continued service with the county, which will begin following MacDonald’s retirement June 30.
“I like the people I’m working with,” Wozniak said.
Legislator David Kelly (R-Pawling) said he’s known Wozniak most of his life, and looked forward to working with him.
“I have a lot of admiration for what he’s done for the community,” he said.
Barrack, a Beacon resident, has owned and operated her own tax service business there for 18 years. Prior to that, she was a revenue agent with the IRS and an auditor for the United States Military Academy at West Point. She also sits on the board of trustees for Dutchess Community College.
Legislator John Forman (R-Beacon), an insurance agent based in Beacon, said he’s had experience working with Barrack in the private sector and considers her “a fantastic choice to be the next commissioner of finance for Dutchess County.”
Retirees served for decades
Between them, MacDonald and Brannen put in more than 58 years of service to the county.
“Both Ian MacDonald and Rita Brannen have led key county departments,” Steinhaus said. “For many years their expertise and wisdom have been relied upon on a daily basis, and they both will be sorely missed.”
MacDonald was a judge in Beacon before becoming senior assistant county attorney in 1980 and county attorney in 1988, a position he has held longer than anyone else in Dutchess County history.
Brannen started out in 1971 as a senior account clerk typist at the Youth Board and worked her way up through the Finance Department, including deputy commissioner. Shw was named commissioner of finance by Steinhaus in 1998. As commissioner, she oversees 22 employees and is responsible for all treasury functions, including cash management, financial reporting, property tax enforcement, payroll and issuance of general obligation debt.
“The experiences I have had during my tenure have really focused on change and new ways in doing business for both cost savings and efficiency,” said Brannen. “I appreciate the opportunity given to me by County Executive Steinhaus in leading many of these improvements.”