Penn Township promotes finance director to manager

When officials first asked Mary Perez to consider applying for the job of Penn Township’s secretary-manager, her answer was firm.

“They had originally asked me if I would be interested, and I originally said ‘absolutely not,’” Perez said. “My comfort zone is finance.”

Perez served as the township’s finance director and agreed to serve as interim secretary-manager after Alexander Graziani resigned in May.

Still, she was adamant she did not want the position permanently — until she gave it a try.

As she became familiar with the role, and upon repeated urging from those she was working with, the idea started to look more appealing.

“I thought, ‘I can do this,’” she said. “I feel like I’m doing pretty well at it.”

Township officials agreed. They received more than 100 applicants for the job, and narrowed the list to nine finalists.

“There were some very good people and, at the time we were interviewing, Ms. Perez was still fairly emphatic that she did not want to be the township manager, she wanted to remain as the finance director,” said Commissioner Larry Harrison.

When commissioners learned Perez was willing to take the job, their decision was obvious, Harrison said.

“I think there was unanimous commitment on behalf of the commissioners that she would be the best fit for Penn Township,” he said. “I think the staff has worked very well with Mary.”

Commissioners last month voted to hire Perez as the new secretary-manager. The search for a new finance director will begin soon.

Perez will make just over $99,000 a year in her new position.

She joined the township as fiscal director in 2016 after serving 14 years in the same position in Greensburg.

She takes the job while several major projects are underway in the township. One top priority is addressing residents’ issues with flooding.

“We have a lot of stormwater issues all over the township… some of which have been talked about for years,” she said.

This year relatively light rainfall has provided a break from the frequent flooding, which has been a perennial issue, she said.

The township recently received a $1.1 million PennVEST loan for a stormwater project on Hyland Road, which is slated for 2021. Design work for a project in the Harrison Park neighborhood is underway, and the township hopes to improve several more areas in the future.

Perez also hopes to help usher in a long-awaited turnpike ramp, which officials hope will be built soon. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission last year voted to build an interchange at State Route 130, though no timetable for the project was set.

Perez said she looks forward to the challenges ahead.

“I’m excited, we have a good board of commissioners, we have a lot of great volunteers and consultants,” she said. “I think we can pull that all together, and pool everyone’s talents.”