“The people here are not only very welcoming and friendly, but they know what they’re doing. Everyone I’ve run into is skilled at their job, and dedicated to the City of Poughkeepsie,” said newly appointed Finance Commissioner Milo Bunyi.
Last week, the City of Poughkeepsie welcomed Bunyi, along with recently appointed and confirmed Chamberlain Karen Burke, to their new posts at city hall.
Bunyi, a native of the Philippines, came to the United States in 1971 to join his parents, who had been in the states since 1953. After earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Bunyi was recruited by retail giant JCPenny, where he spent nearly three decades in various management positions; he relocated with his job before eventually settling in Poughkeepsie, where he retired in 2001. Afterward, Bunyi, who is on the board of the United Way, was approached by the organization to assist the Dutchess County YMCA – which was struggling financially. Bunyi agreed, and became the YMCA’s executive director from 2001 until 2008, when he was approached by Mayor John Tkazyik.
“In 40 years of working, I’ve only worked in two places. I’m not a jumper – but I saw this as an opportunity,” said Bunyi. “When I joined the YMCA, my entire philosophy was that it was an opportunity to serve my community. I looked at this position, and the mayor pointed out that this was my opportunity to help in his vision of really serving the City of Poughkeepsie.”
According to Bunyi, the city’s finances are “very stable,” and he has begun working with the mayor and the council to ensure that they remain that way.
“Our first and most important job is to get a really accurate picture of where our finances are, and once we do that, the proper guidance may be given to the mayor and the council to make sure that we remain a stable city, even in times of economic struggle,” said Bunyi.
Local ties
Burke is a local; the City of Poughkeepsie resident grew up in Newburgh, and earned a paralegal certificate and an associate degree in business administration from nearby Rockland Community College. Afterward, she began working in local law firms. She was working at Corbally, Gartland and Rappleyea in Poughkeepsie when she got the mayor’s mid-April call.
“I was surprised,” Burke said. “It’s a new challenge, I’ve been working in law since I was 16. It was nice to come upon, because I wasn’t looking, but it was a challenge that I thought it was a good time in my life to take.”
According to Burke, her job as chamberlain is very similar to her job as a paralegal.
“The chamberlain manages the records that in my former career I drafted and filed at City Hall, but going forward I’ll need to manage a larger staff so that the people of the city receive good service, and if no one else can figure out how to fix the fax machine, that will be my job, too,” said Burke.
Since January, Chris Baiano has served the city as acting chamberlain, but the council refused to confirm Baiano based on questions they had about his performance as the landlord of a deli on Worrall Avenue. Burke’s appointment and confirmation marks the end of what some feel was a political battle between the GOP mayor and the Democratic council over administrative appointments.
Bunyi – who does not need to be confirmed by the council, will replace Deputy Finance Commissioner Karen Sorrell, who had stepped into the position after former commissioner James Wojtowicz resigned last year. Wojtowicz left the post to become the Town of Poughkeepsie comptroller, and Sorrell has been serving as acting commissioner ever since.
“I’m going to do my job, and do it the best I can,” said Burke. “We’re here for the council, we’re here for the mayor – we’re all just here trying to do our jobs.”