The town/village of Harrison has appointed a new deputy attorney to join lead Town Attorney Frank Allegretti and village attorneys Jonathan Kraut and Christopher Cipolla. At the first town board meeting of the year, held on Jan. 7, the Harrison Town Council appointed Nelson Canter to the position.
Canter, a lifelong Harrison resident and former Harrison town justice, actually got his start in the Harrison Law Department 30 years ago when he interned for the late Fred Castiglia, who was the town attorney at the time.
“He was a mentor to me then and continued to be right up until my election as Harrison’s town justice,” said Canter, who is also a managing partner at the Canter Law Firm in White Plains and a volunteer firefighter with the Purchase Fire Department.
Castiglia, who stepped down from the deputy attorney position in December 2014 after a near 30-year career serving the town in a legal capacity, passed away in April 2015 at the age of 76.
The timing for Canter couldn’t be better as he just finished his first term as a Republican town justice.
A registered Republican, Canter unsuccessfully ran for re-election last year losing out to the two Republican-backed candidates, Joseph Cannella and Pasquale Gizzo. Canter, 53, had previously been endorsed by the town Republican Party in his previous elections but was passed over in 2015 and was forced to appear on just the Conservative line in the general election ballot.
“I really enjoyed being on the bench and wanted to continue to serve the community,” said Canter said about his new opportunity.
Mayor Ron Belmont, a Republican, told the Review that Canter’s years of experience will serve him well as deputy attorney.
“He has a wealth of knowledge and I think he’s the right man for the job,” Belmont said.
Allegretti, who has been the town attorney since 2002, added that Canter will make a great addition to the town attorney’s team.
Canter will continue to work as the managing partner at his law firm in White Plains while he takes on his new role as deputy attorney. Canter said he believes this position is a good fit for him, due in part to his “excellent” relationship with the town board.
“I enjoy counseling them as best I can,” he said. He added that his appointment was received warmly.
Although the position of town attorney for Harrison is considered a part-time job, both Allegretti and Canter said those are just their “in-office” days.
Since he began his duties on Jan. 4, Canter added that some nights, they stay up well past midnight drafting and revising documents, and the two are constantly talking on the phone.
“It’s a seven-day job and it’s a lot of work,” the former judge said, “but it’s really gratifying to be welcomed the way I was.”
