Mayor hires new confidential secretary

KINGSTON, N.Y. >> A Kingston resident with two master’s degrees from SUNY New Paltz has been hired as Mayor Steve Noble’s confidential secretary.

Roy Verspoor’s appointment was announced in a press release Thursday.

He has been working in local and nearby schools as a long-term substitute and as a summer school English language arts teacher at Kingston High School for the last few years, the release said. It said Verspoor is “an excellent writer and copy editor with experience in grant writing.”

Verspoor is to start as Noble’s confidential secretary on Monday, Feb. 3. He succeeds Lynsey Timbrouck, who left the position Nov. 8, 2019, to become a recreation leader in the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.

“The confidential secretary is a key position in my administration and the first face that greets visitors to my office,” said Noble, who just started his second four-year term as mayor, in a prepared statement. “I am impressed with Roy’s eagerness to be an integral part of City Hall and to engage with the greater community. I welcome Roy to this role and look forward to working with him.”

The full-time position has a starting salary of $41,657, plus benefits.

Verspoor earned a bachelor’s degree in English in 2008, a master’s in English literature in 2011 and a master’s in adolescent education in 2014, all from SUNY New Paltz, the mayor’s office said.

“Kingston deserves the best, and I’m overjoyed to join the mayor’s team to help work toward a better tomorrow for the city,” Verspoor said in a statement. “I’ll approach the job with an open mind and open ears, and I thank the mayor for this opportunity. I look forward to getting started.”