Betty Manzella to step down as Suffolk County GOP elections commissioner, with Erin McTiernan succeeding
Suffolk County Board of Elections office in Yaphank in November 2023. Credit: Tom Lambui
Suffolk lawmakers will vote to appoint a new Republican Board of Elections commissioner in September, less than two months before early voting begins in the general election.
Betty Manzella, 67, who was appointed commissioner in 2022 after previously retiring, submitted a letter of resignation effective Sept. 8. Erin McTiernan, 41, a deputy commissioner, is slated to succeed Manzella, pending legislative approval, according to a resolution before the legislature.
Suffolk County Republican Party Chairman Jesse Garcia, whose role allows him to nominate his party's county elections commissioner, told Newsday the transition has been planned along this timeline and Manzella has been gradually passing responsibilities to McTiernan and Maureen Getchell, an assistant commissioner who will be promoted to deputy commissioner.
"We all felt it was the best time before the election cycle actually begins," Garcia said, adding that the BOE begins setting up ballots and voting machines in September for the Nov. 4 general election. He said Manzella will return to the BOE in a new role as assistant to the commissioner.
Manzella previously served 23 years with the BOE and had retired as deputy Suffolk elections commissioner in 2018. She was appointed commissioner in 2022 to replace Nick LaLota, who was elected to Congress later that year.
Manzella told Newsday after serving the remainder of LaLota's term, she was expected to sign for one additional term, during which "we would work toward the future because obviously I came out of retirement for this."
She earned $174,441 in 2024, according to payroll data, and is also vice chair of the Brookhaven Town Republican Committee.
McTiernan, a Touro Law School graduate, served as acting commissioner during the onset of the pandemic, Garcia said. Most recently, she oversaw the March special election in Southampton Town, he said.
McTiernan, who joined the BOE in 2019 after managing former GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin's congressional reelection campaigns, earned $158,444 in 2024, according to payroll data. Her appointment, if approved, would expire Dec. 31, 2026, according to the resolution.
A resolution to appoint McTiernan will come before the legislature’s Ways & Means Committee next week and the full legislature could vote to approve it at the Sept. 3 general meeting.
Garcia described Manzella as the "ultimate professional."
"She is someone that has served as a mentor to a generation of election workers," he said, adding that her priority "has been to put forward fair and transparent elections."
John Alberts, the Democratic commissioner, said in an email it has been "an absolute pleasure" working alongside Manzella.
"Betty and I have always made it our number one priority to ensure fair and honest elections for the voters of Suffolk County, and I have no doubt Erin and I will do the same," he said.
Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.
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