LEGISLATURE STUFF - No Fitting Words

Flowers respectfully grace the desk of Tammy Sciavillo, the late Greene County Legislature clerk.

CATSKILL - There are no known words to adequately describe the passing of Tammy Sciavillo, so a Moment of Silence was respectfully observed instead, this past Monday night, at the Greene County Legislature.

Sciavillo, the highly respected and longtime clerk of the legislature, died on November 13, from unspecified causes, predeceased three years ago by her husband, Vito Sciavillo, a firefighter. She was 54. 

A few months ago, Tammy Sciavillo was named 2025 county “Employee of the Year,” a selection containing an element of light-hearted intrigue.

Part of Sciavillo’s job included typing up the annual Employee Recognition information, necessitating her colleagues creating a pseudo awardee to preserve the secret.

Whether she was savvy to their subterfuge or not, legislature chairman Patrick Linger, while making the presentation, noted her dedication.

Since the spring of 1999, “every resolution, every minute of every meeting taking place at Greene County government bears testimony to her tireless work ethic, focus and dedication,” Linger stated.

“Every agenda, every notice, every advertisement, every local law, every legislative memorandum and countless other documents and emails emanating from the legislature have her fingerprints on them.”

Having been the acting clerk of the legislature for a quarter century, Linger said Sciavillo, “applies a wealth of institutional knowledge every day and willingly shares that knowledge with all other departments.

“You can walk into the legislative office anytime and find her either wearing a headset and carefully typing minutes or searching records from the distant past looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack.

“She is always amenable to interruption, always with a welcoming smile  and always asking what it is she can do to help you,” Linger said.

“Simply put, Tammy Sciavillo is essential in steering this ship that we all call Greene County and I can think of no one more deserving of this honor.”

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Appreciation for her went beyond mundane clerical duties, and in the aftermath of her passing lawmaker Matthew Luvera stated, “as [the legislative] Majority Leader, I’m also the [board] vice-chairman.

“When our chairman went out on medical leave [two years ago], I was forced to step into the role of running our meetings,” Luvera stated.

“Tammy was there and sat to my right, keeping me updated as to what had to be said and when to say it.

“She organized the entire notes, even with the exact words that needed to be said. It certainly made me feel more comfortable having her at my side.

“Grief is a hard emotion to overcome,” Luvera stated. “We loved Tammy and always will. Our Legislature will never be the same without her there. 

“Her presence gave us comfort and I’m completely heartbroken that she is not physically there,” Luvera stated.

Former legislature chairman William Lawrence, now retired, wrote, “she was Tammy Lynn Barbato when I first met her in 2005.

“That was the year she was appointed clerk for the county administrator and basically a clerk for the entire legislative group.

“When you deal with an administrator and [fourteen] needy legislators, it helps to be on top of your game and she always was.

“Tammy was charged with taking the minutes at every legislative meeting and she paid close attention to what was said and by whom.

“If you have ever been to one of those meetings, then you know that most of them are like watching paint dry, yet she kept track of every word said.  

“Tammy never looked for the adulation of those she worked for,” Lawrence wrote “but she certainly earned it.”