High Profile: Meet Suffolk County Clerk Vincent Puleo

Suffolk County Clerk Vincent Puleo, who is beginning his third year in the job, is confident that most residents have a limited view of the scope of what his office does.

“We are the major facilitator of deeds and mortgages,” says Puleo, who was clerk for the town of Smithtown for 17 years. In addition to assisting residents, the County Clerk’s office also works with businesses, provides notary services and collect fees for various state and county mandates.

“I would one-hundred percent bet that most people don’t know half of what we do,” says Puleo, who supervises a staff of 110 people, including six deputies. “We also handle local and state court actions. We touch a lot of people’s lives with what we do: liens, if you own property, covenants, zombie homes. You can even sign up to the Homeowners Watch List for free. If anything involves your property, you’ll be notified.”

Despite the enormity of the scope of the office, Puleo didn’t hesitate when it was suggested he run for county clerk.

“With all the experience I had as Smithtown clerk, I felt I could take on the challenge of county clerk and make improvements, make things more efficient,” Puleo says of his move from Smithtown to the county.

One of his goals was to make the office more accessible.

“Ninety percent of land use information is now electronic,” Puleo says with pride. “You can google what you want to know. We also help people get through the process of deeds and mortgages faster. They hadn’t upgraded the software in twenty-six years. Now, things are smoother and quicker.

One of the most frequent and important things his office does is simply answer questions.  It may seem small, but if you’re the one in need of information and answers, it is a very big thing.

“We have people who call us first,” Puleo says of the many calls they field daily. “I make sure that my staff knows that if we don’t know the answer, we don’t just hang up. We go find the answer whenever we can. That means who they need to talk to, the telephone number of the department and the process, so the caller hangs up having felt like we’ve done our job.”

Puleo says they don’t always have the information but will work hard to find out.

“We had someone call about wanting to bid on concessions at one of the parks,” remembers Puleo, who has been married to wife, Beverly, for 32 years. They have three sons and eight grandchildren. “We don’t do that, but we researched and found out who in the parks department the person needed to talk to and the next steps. To the person on the other end of the phone, that’s what matters. They have a problem and want help, want to feel like the people whose salary they’re paying was able to help.”

Even Puleo was a little amazed at the scope of the Suffolk County clerk’s office when he walked in there.

“I was surprised at the vast amount of information this office holds,” says Puleo of all the areas of residents’ life his office touches. “I was also surprised how much money the clerk’s office takes in in fees from the state and county. The money we take in helps the county run day-to-day.”

Puleo says one of his next projects is to sit down with County Supervisor Ed Romaine to discuss streamlining fees.

“I am proud to be an advocate for the residents of Suffolk County,” Puleo says. “I didn’t want to bombard the county executive as soon as he walked into office. It has been a year, so it is a good time to talk with him to see what can be done with some of the fees residents pay. My job doesn’t start at 9 a.m. or end at 5 p.m. It is all day, every day. I also am an advocate for my staff, making sure they have the tools and training they need to do their job efficiently.

Puleo says that the entire staff is committed to the mission of providing the best possible service to residents and making sure every resident who walks in or calls has a positive experience.

“I think the thing I’d really like to express to residents is that if they don’t know the answer to something, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and ask us,” Puleo says. “We will always try to help you.”

Have a question? You can reach the clerk’s office at 631-852-2000.

Todd Shapiro is an award-winning publicist and associate publisher of Dan’s Papers.