Deputy steps in for longtime tax assessor BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer HAZLET — All it takes is one call to Elizabeth Cusumano’s office to figure out that she’s busy. Really busy. “I just started recently and there’s nobody else around this office,” Cusumano said. “Whenever the phone rings I have to pick it up. Or when something needs to be done, it’s all mine at this point.” Cusumano is talking about her job as the new township tax assessor, a role she has had for less than two weeks. Before taking on her new position, she was the deputy tax assessor for about three and a half years. She officially took over as the assessor on Dec. 1 after being appointed by the Township Committee. She takes over for Evelyn Cranwell, who was employed by the township for 20 years, before passing away from cancer on July 2. “I think Evelyn had been ill for a little while. It really was a shock when she died and people were very surprised,” Cusumano said. “It was sad.” Although she is new to her position, Cusumano has been a township employee since 1997, when she was a clerk typist, working in the assessor’s office. Cusumano’s duties are numerous, including recording ownership changes, reviewing and recording building permits, evaluating assessment, and filing reports to the Division of Taxation and the Monmouth County Board of Taxation. At the present time, the search is on for a deputy tax assessor, which is easier said than done because of certification requirements necessary to hold that position. Until then, Cusumano realizes that it’s all on her shoulders. “Things around here are very busy at this point,” she said. “There’s plenty that has to be done before the end of the year. If we can’t have a deputy [tax assessor] come in, then I will have a clerk typist come in and help.”