North Hempstead supervisor appoints town finance director as deputy supervisor

North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth has appointed a deputy supervisor, a position that had been vacant for 10 months.

Aline Khatchadourian, the town's finance director, assumes that role. Bosworth did not fill the deputy supervisor position after taking office Jan. 1.

Bosworth had said the finance director position would absorb responsibilities held by the past deputy supervisor, Christopher Senior. Senior had exited the town before Bosworth took office to become town manager of Cohasset, Massachusetts.

Town spokeswoman Carole Trottere said there is no legal requirement for the town to have a deputy supervisor. She said there was "no fixed person" to be next in line if the town supervisor could not serve or oversee a town board meeting.

Khatchadourian would assume those responsibilities, though Trottere said that Khatchadourian and chief of staff Cindy Cardinal have the authority to sign contracts in Bosworth's absence.

Bosworth said the appointment is a designation and is necessary if she is unable to attend a town board meeting. Khatchadourian will continue in her post as town finance director.

"In the course of time, it's inevitable that may happen and we need to know we have someone poised to do that," Bosworth said. "She's exquisitely poised to do that because of her knowledge of all her finances and from working with all the departments."

The appointment does not come with a salary change. Khatchadourian will continue to be paid $132,000 yearly.

Other deputy supervisors in Long Island towns are salaried employees or town board members who receive additional stipends.

Khatchadourian, 50, of Manhasset was previously the director of finance for the minority caucus in the Nassau County Legislature, a deputy comptroller and deputy budget director for Nassau, and a manager at KPMG in Manhattan.

In an interview, she said she will continue to oversee the town's capital projects and the budget. She said she wants "to continue to provide all the wonderful services all our residents need and to continue to do it without burdening our residents with increased taxes."

By Scott Eidler

scott.eidler@newsday.com@ScottEidler

Scott Eidler is a deputy editor for the towns department at Newsday. Scott has worked at Newsday since 2012 and previously covered municipal government and education.