WENDY NEIL
New Treasurer/collector
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The Select Board voted 2-0 to appoint a new treasurer/collector during an early Sept. 2 meeting held on Zoom teleconference.
Stoneham Assistant Treasurer/Collector Wendy Neil will be succeeding former Treasurer/Collector Susan Mistretta, who retired this summer after working for the town since September 2023. According to the town’s website, the town treasurer is “responsible for the receipt, posting, classifying, depositing and investment of all money belonging to the town and bills for various town departments.”
Neil has served as Stoneham’s assistant treasurer/collector since 2021. She worked as Stoneham’s accounts payable specialist from 2019 to 2021. She served as an office administrator for Neil Associates/Snow Pros, LLC from 2006-2019.
Similar to the Select Board’s interviews for the Senior Center director and town clerk jobs last month, Select Board Chair Phil Crawford and Select Board member Dick Dalton asked Neil and the other finalist, Salem Public Schools Benefits Coordinator Marcie Glick, six questions each. Select Board Vice Chair Alexis Lahey was not present at the 8 a.m. meeting.
Crawford asked Neil to discuss her background and past experience.
Neil thanked the Select Board for giving her the opportunity to interview for the vacant treasurer/collector position. She said the treasurer/collector position requires people to have “financial integrity,” and said it’s important to be transparent, accountable, knowledgeable and efficient.
“You are dealing with other people’s money, so you have to be respectful because it is not yours,” said Neil. “It’s the public’s money.”
Neil said she previously worked in the private sector until she “transitioned into the municipal world” when she began working as an accounts payable specialist for the town of Stoneham.
“Department heads are submitting what they need to pay, and you need to make sure they are not going over their budget,” said Neil. “I work under a very good town accountant who has provided good guidance, and I learned a lot.”
Neil said that she learned how to do payroll after a colleague of hers went on a medical leave of absence.
“It’s the same concept as accounts payable on the payroll side,” said Neil. “You are dealing with buckets of money as I call it. You have to make sure you stay within the expenses on the payroll side or the expenses on the revenue side. You have guidelines that you need to follow, and you need to allocate the expenses properly or else you are going to throw the numbers off. Certain departments’ salaries are straightforward so you know that you are not going to go over anything, but certain departments such as police, fire and DPW have overtime. You need to be conscious of what you are doing and how you are doing it.”
After previously working as Stoneham’s accounts payable specialist for two years, Neil said she was encouraged to apply for Stoneham’s assistant treasurer/collector job.
“It was the next step,” said Neil. “I am now at the point where I can make a career advancement to the next step. Now am I perfect? No. Will I continue to learn daily? Yes. Every day, you are going to learn something new in your position no matter what you are doing. I believe it was time to go for it, so here I am.”
Dalton asked Neil to describe her management style and how she would engage and motivate staff.
“I treat others as I would like to be treated regardless,” said Neil. “I am a visionary person. I like to see things, and I don’t like to be told this is how you do it. I want to see the process and I want to see the backup. That is how I work presently with my co-workers and the team I am working with. In doing that, you are going to get better results rather than saying this is how we do it. I want to learn how you do it and I want you to learn how I do it.”
Crawford asked Neil how she has handled dealing with a difficult co-worker or resident in the past.
Neil noted that most people who call a town treasurer/collector’s office are trying to a pay a bill or are dealing with an issue such as not getting their bill.
“It’s all about money,” said Neil. “Depending on the person, it is going to touch a nerve. You have to be able to process it. There are people who will call you and they can’t get on the online platform to make a payment that is due today, and they are stressing out. You have to take the time, and sit there, guide them and walk them through whether it takes five minutes, 10 minutes or 15 minutes. You have to spend time with these people. I believe they appreciate it because after the conversations I have had, they are very grateful. It comes down to how I would like to be treated. If I call a municipality, I would expect they try to get me the results I need.”
Dalton asked Neil about her experience handling cash and reconciling numerous bank accounts.
While Neil said she does not reconcile bank accounts in Stoneham because that is the treasurer’s responsibility, she said that she is a “huge part of it.” She said that she has experience using Quicken and Munis software, handles cash in the office and interacts with banks on a daily basis.
Crawford asked Neil to describe a problem she encountered that she never faced before and how she handled the issue.
Neil said treasurer/collector offices are always dealing with different issues and problems that arise. She said that she helped a man who received an “extremely large water bill.”
“He had a problem with his property and he called to get some answers,” said Neil. “He wasn’t irate and he wasn’t upset. He was calling because he wanted to know why this happened. We were talking $16,000 for one quarter. I related to the individual because I had past experiences with the same situation, and I got upset as a resident and as a taxpayer. I was impressed with how calm he was because he had to come up with this money.”
Neil said she and a co-worker looked up the man’s previous water bills to make sure he paid all of them. She also called the Water Department and spoke with the town administrator about the problem. After the man determined a leak caused the $16,000 water bill, she said he later went into the office to thank her personally for helping him.
“My co-workers behind me said that doesn’t happen too often,” said Neil. “I said, ‘that is the way you want to be treated.’ We were talking about big money here. We want to try and help people when they are calling you for a reason.”
Dalton asked Neil to describe her experience with payroll and benefits administration.
“I do have extensive payroll experience in the private sector as well as municipal,” said Neil.
After the two interviews concluded, Crawford asked Finance Director/Town Accountant David Castellarian to weigh in on Neil and Glick.
“I think Wendy is who we need both on the treasurer side but also on the payroll side because we don’t have a payroll backup right now,” said Castellarian. “We are starting to rebuild the payroll system to make it better than it was before and more efficient than it was before. My personal thought is Wendy would be a much better fit for that office based on that and her treasurer experience too.”
Dalton said he was going to rely on Castellarian’s recommendation because “he has been around the business for a long time and he knows what he needs to perform his functions.”
“I would lean towards Wendy strictly from the resume standpoint with respect to her experience,” added Dalton. “Both were very good candidates, but I would give the edge to Wendy for having more pertinent experience.”
Crawford said he was impressed with Neil’s experience.
“Wendy would be my choice as well,” said Crawford.
After the discussion, Crawford and Dalton both voted to appoint Neil as treasurer/collector/pretax plan administrator.
“Congratulations Wendy,” said Crawford.