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03/07/2018 07:30 AMGot a question about North Haven and don’t know who can answer it? There’s a good bet that Tammy Ciaburri, the friendly voice on the end of the Selectman’s Office phone line can point you in the right direction.
After two years in the job, Tammy enjoys giving answers to the questions of residents, and being of service to the community.
“When I applied for this job I really wanted it—I really, really wanted this job, and I’m very fortunate to have this position,” she says.
Every day is different at Town Hall and Tammy is kept busy learning more about North Haven and meeting members of the community. She also enjoys working with executive assistant to the first selectman Valerie Goodkin and First Selectman Michael Freda, whom she calls a role model.
“So many people are happy here so it makes my job easy in that sense, that it’s such a great town I feel very, very lucky to be in this position,” she says.
In terms of day-to-day activities, Tammy helps residents over the phone with any questions or concerns, and assists with different town projects and events.
She says the most important thing is customer service, and even though she may not know what’s coming on the other end of the phone, she enjoys that. If she doesn’t know the answer to a question, she’ll research it, and says that the other town departments are always accessible and ready to answer her questions.
“I’ve gotten to know quite a bit about the town…and I like that,” Tammy says, “I like learning about different things and helping the residents out.”
Tammy says she’s a facilitator of information, and often develops a rapport with people who call in to the office. Some callers are nervous at first, she says, but once she helps get them the information they need, they feel comfortable to call again.
“If it helps them out during their day, and they feel better about whatever circumstances are happening, then it makes me feel good, too. So it kind of works on both ends—they feel it’s resolved and I feel like I’ve helped out in a small way,” she says. “Whatever concern they have or question, from the biggest to the smallest, if I can lend a hand and point them in the right direction, then I feel like I’ve done my job.”
Tammy is also responsible for recording the meeting minutes for the Middle School Building Committee, a role she says has been both informative and interesting—and she adds that the building came out beautifully.
Tammy has been an administrative assistant in the office since July 2016. Prior to that, she worked as a paralegal in property management and school climate advisor for Hamden Public Schools, a role that involved working with the school principal to coordinate services and provide structure and accountability.
“You really had to gain the students’ trust and work with the students closely, also with the teachers and principal and parents,” she says.
Tammy has two children, Anthony and Michael, and a fiancé, Christopher. She enjoys spending time with her family when she’s not working, and likes skiing in the winter and surfing in Rhode Island during the summer.
“I love Matunuck Beach [in Rhode Island], that’s where my fiancé is from, he grew up in that area,” Tammy says.
With so many things happening in town, Tammy is always ready to lend a hand. She believes that community events and news affect people personally, so it matters a lot to her to do her best.
“I like dealing with people…and I just try to have a smile on my face when I answer the phone so people know you’re in good hands when you call because it’s really, really important to me,” she says.
Her hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“Tammy has been a great asset to the Selectman’s Office,” says Goodkin, “Her friendly disposition and calm manner is very welcoming to anyone who calls our office with problems or concerns.”