Guilderland town clerk Jean Cataldo to retire

The Enterprise — Elizabeth Floyd Mair
“The face of the town”: Guilderland Clerk Jean Cataldo will retire at the end of her term. She is pictured here at the opening of the new hotel at Crossgates Mall.

GUILDERLAND — Jean Cataldo is set to retire at the end of this year, after 20 years of working for the town as, first, receiver of taxes, and then town clerk.

She will fill out her term, but she will not run for re-election in November, said Jacob Crawford, chairman of the Guilderland Democratic Committee, this week.

“She’s the face of the town, and people love that she’s the face of the town,” Crawford said, “because she’s so amazing.”

Cataldo will be hard to replace, Crawford said, not only because of her knowledge and the hard work she puts in, but also because of the warm and personable way she treats everyone who stops in to the clerk’s office.

Cataldo ran a close race for town clerk in 1999 against the Republican incumbent. Shortly after, she was appointed deputy receiver of taxes and then, just a month later, receiver of taxes, a post she held for 14 years before being elected clerk in 2013. She was uncontested in her last run for clerk, in 2017.

Although not obligated to, Cataldo often shows up for community events like ribbon-cutting ceremonies for new businesses. She said earlier that she enjoys those “happy events” but more importantly it’s an opportunity to meet with people who do not usually come in to Town Hall but who may, nevertheless, have questions for her.

Cataldo said this week that she is retiring to be able to spend more time with her new grandbaby.

“Like some people before me,” Cataldo said, “I have become one of those ‘grandmother’ people, and I’ll tell you, I love this baby. He is just a little sweetheart.”

Cataldo said it seems that she may soon be taking a more active role in her grandson’s upbringing, providing childcare while his parents work. She said, “It seems like I only know about boys, having had two sons myself.”

Crawford said he has also asked Cataldo to consider, following her retirement, taking a more active role in the Guilderland Democratic Committee, where she will continue to serve as second vice chair.

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