The longest serving member on the Board of Finance is now the chair of the board, which oversees Naugatuck’s more than $100 million budget.
Diane Scinto was elected chair Tuesday night by a vote of 5-3 among board members at Town Hall.
Scinto, a Republican who has been a finance board member for more than seven years, was nominated by fellow Republcan Al Pistarelli. Republican Dan Sheriden was also nominated.
“She has been on the board for a long time, and she works well with other members,” Pistarelli said of his reasons for nominating Scinto. “She has a lot of good insights on the financial situation of the town, and she’s very level-headed.
Scinto, who is married and has two adult children, works as a claims consultant for the Hartford Insurance Co. She takes over as chair for Bob Butler, who resigned last month when he was hired as the assistant business manager for the Naugatuck Board of Education.
Scinto said she enjoys being on the Board of Finance because she wants to look out for the fiscal health of the borough.
Asked what she thought makes a good leader, Scinto told Naugatuck Patch Tuesday night that she believes leaders let people express their opinions and work toward building a consensus.
“Really, I hope this is a continuation of the great work of (the two prior chairs) Ray Lennon (Jr.) and Bob Butler,” she said.
Scinto said her major goal for the upcoming year is to encourage more people to be part of the budgeting process.
“I hope people will come to the finance board meetings and see what is really going on,” she said.
