Amaris Elliott-Engel / The Citizen
AUBURN - At the end of the lengthy lines in the Cayuga County Department of Motor Vehicles is a public servant like department supervisor Marlyn Salato.
Salato has worked her way up the DMV ranks over the last 22 years to head the department for the last two. She has made an enjoyable career out of solving customer service problems.
“Many people are intimidated when they come into the Department of Motor Vehicles,” Salato said. “There's rules. There's forms. It's nice to be able to help them with (that process).”
Salato, of Cayuga, oversees a staff of eight full-time employees and two part-time employees and resolves the thorniest customer service problems.
She started as an examiner, a now-obsolete position. For many years, visitors to the DMV first went to an examiner who ensured they had the appropriate paperwork before entering another line and conducting the necessary transaction with a cashier. The examiner position has since been eliminated.
It's not the only change in Salato's line of work. The cashier stations that were designed 40 years ago to accommodate a spread of papers are now crowded with the demand to accommodate a computer and a spread of papers.
Comfort with technology is a necessary skill set for people considering public service, she said. Educational success, orientation to people, the ability to resolve conflicts and strong management skills are also important skills for the public sector, she said.
Salato has spent her entire career in public service. Prior to her career in the DMV, she was the part-time clerk-treasurer for her home village for 15 years.
She thinks the public sector, the number one area of employment in Cayuga County, is a fulfilling and prudent career path.
There will be job security, Salato said, because “as long as there's government there are government workers.”
There's strong chances for advancement. There's the opportunity to meet all kinds of people.
Most of all, there's the daily challenge of problem-solving for her fellow citizens.
“That truly happens on a daily basis,” Salato said.
Salato has worked her way up the DMV ranks over the last 22 years to head the department for the last two. She has made an enjoyable career out of solving customer service problems.
“Many people are intimidated when they come into the Department of Motor Vehicles,” Salato said. “There's rules. There's forms. It's nice to be able to help them with (that process).”
Salato, of Cayuga, oversees a staff of eight full-time employees and two part-time employees and resolves the thorniest customer service problems.
She started as an examiner, a now-obsolete position. For many years, visitors to the DMV first went to an examiner who ensured they had the appropriate paperwork before entering another line and conducting the necessary transaction with a cashier. The examiner position has since been eliminated.
It's not the only change in Salato's line of work. The cashier stations that were designed 40 years ago to accommodate a spread of papers are now crowded with the demand to accommodate a computer and a spread of papers.
Comfort with technology is a necessary skill set for people considering public service, she said. Educational success, orientation to people, the ability to resolve conflicts and strong management skills are also important skills for the public sector, she said.
Salato has spent her entire career in public service. Prior to her career in the DMV, she was the part-time clerk-treasurer for her home village for 15 years.
She thinks the public sector, the number one area of employment in Cayuga County, is a fulfilling and prudent career path.
There will be job security, Salato said, because “as long as there's government there are government workers.”
There's strong chances for advancement. There's the opportunity to meet all kinds of people.
Most of all, there's the daily challenge of problem-solving for her fellow citizens.
“That truly happens on a daily basis,” Salato said.
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