North Hempstead Appoints New Comptroller

By Mark Demetropoulos

After 16 months without a Town Comptroller - and stonewalling by the town’s Democrats to block Supervisor Jennifer DeSena (R-Manhasset) from filling the vacancy – the North Hempstead Town Board finally agreed - unanimously - to a replacement Comptroller.

Appointed as the new Comptroller is Kristen Schwaner, age 37, who has over fifteen years’ experience in finance and accounting. She most recently worked at the Hauppauge-based Sight Growth Partners as their Vice President of Finance.

Schwaner’s previous jobs included at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and at Ernst & Young. She is a finance graduate of Hofstra University.

The Comptroller’s office has been vacant since January 2022. The Town’s Director of Finance Paul Wood had been serving as the acting Comptroller over the past nine months. Schwaner will earn a salary of $160,000.

Last December, Supervisor DeSena nominated John Morris of Smithtown to be Comptroller, but the Democrats on the Town Board blocked Morris’ nomination in a straight party-line vote.

“Kristen Schwaner will work hard to fulfill my administration’s mandate of protecting our taxpayers’ wallets,” stated DeSena. “And we will hire capable and qualified deputies” to work with her.