Prospective director joins Hempstead animal shelter staff

The potential future director of the Hempstead Town animal shelter has been hired into a different position until the current director vacates the post.

The town board unanimously voted to appoint Michael Pastore as community research assistant in the Department of General Services’ Animal Shelter and Control Division, at a salary of $85,000, effective March 24 for a probationary period of 26 weeks.

Pastore started working last week at the town animal shelter. The intention is for the town board to consider Pastore for appointment to the position of animal shelter director once Cynthia Iacopella leaves her post. Iacopella is expected to depart in June, but a date has not been set.

Pastore worked for more than 19 years with Animal Care and Control of New York City, where he served as assistant director of operations and as director of field operations. Pastore received a bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University in 1988, town officials said.

After a four-month search and a review of more than 80 applicants, Iacopella was first hired as assistant director of the shelter in July 2011. She was appointed as provisional shelter director in August 2011 and named permanent shelter director in August 2012, after she scored No. 1 on the town’s Civil Service Commission exam for the position. Pastore had ranked No. 2 in the civil service exam.