The plaudits have been profuse for Sleepy Hollow’s new treasurer, Sara DiGiacomo, even before her arrival this month at Village Hall. Her new assignment comes following a decade long tenure in Dobbs Ferry handling that village’s finances, with the last eight years as its treasurer.

“She is very experienced and very knowledgeable,”Mayor Ken Wray said. “DiGiacomo is smart and she has got extensive background as treasurer and the lead financial person in a village.” According to Mayor Wray, her experience was a decisive factor in the selection. The search for a treasurer included interviews with people who had experience in governmental work, as well as those in the private sector, the mayor explained.

“We’re very fortunate she is coming here,” Village Administrator Anthony Giaccio said. “It is very rare that you would get someone of that quality to transfer from another municipality.”

Giaccio should know. DiGiacomo reported to him during his previous job as Dobbs Ferry Administrator.

“She and I started at Dobb Ferry within a few months of each other in 1999,” Giaccio said. “She started in the Finance Department and I was recreation superintendent and then administrator. She became treasurer and we worked together for almost 10 years.”

“I’m very excited about working in Sleepy Hollow and with Anthony Giaccio again,” DiGiacomo said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity. Exciting things are going to happen, especially with the development of the GM property. It seems that they are getting closer to that.”

She said she looked forward to working with “a great bunch of folks who all seem to care very much about the village. I hear that there is a great staff at Village Hall.”

DiGiacomo worked as a financial analyst in the private sector for about five years before starting her job in Dobbs Ferry. She is a graduate of Pace University and lives in White Plains. She replaces Diane Jacobson, who resigned in March.

Giaccio said the job search since the end of March had resulted in the scrutiny of about 50 resumes.

“Those resumes included people who had municipal experience, but none as treasurer,” he noted. “The treasurer has enormous responsibility. While they don’t set policy, they are accountable for money spent and that it is spent as it is meant to be spent. And, there are very strict polices in regard to government finance.”

“The treasurer is a financial watchdog and should also look for efficiencies and for ways to save money ,” said Wray. He added, however, that, “I want a treasurer to do more than ensure that the books are correct and track spending. The treasurer should be looking at trends in the market place and anticipate situations rather than just try to solve a problem after the fact. I don’t want to have someone say ‘we are over budget and it does not look good.”

DiGiacomo, who reportedly will earn $120,000, starts her job in Sleepy Hollow on July 12.

“My expectations are that she can settle in quickly, get up to speed with us, and then make some recommendations, “ the Mayor said.