Karen Bulley Top Candidate to Finish Josephine Carella’s Term

BY DYLAN SKRILOFF

The passing of  Town Clerk Josephine Carella leaves the Haverstraw Town Board with a one-year vacancy to fill before the position  is back up for election in 2013.

Supervisor Howard Phillips said so far the only application he’s received for the job is from Karen Bulley, the deputy village clerk of West Haverstraw. The supervisor said the town will most likely handle the appointment at their reorganization meeting in January.

Former Village of Haverstraw trustee Ricky Sanchez has been outspoken, stating his opinion that Carella wanted her assistant Rachel Ventura to succeed her. Sanchez even said this is why Carella ran for her most recent term rather than allow local politicos like Supervisor Phillips and Town Democratic Chair Fred Miller to determine who sits in the position.

Notably, Miller is Bulley’s higher-up as village clerk of West Haverstraw, in addition to being party chairman.

Phillips told the Rockland County Times that Ventura has not indicated interest in the position of clerk since Carella’s passing. There is a formal paperwork process one must take part in, he said, and only Bulley has done so at this point.

Possible candidates for town clerk next year include Bulley, Ventura, and Josephine Carella’s son Bernard.

Carella passed away the week of Thanksgiving at the age of 88. She was town clerk for 36 years.