Biography
Frank J. Merola has served the citizens of Rensselaer County as County Clerk since 1998. Mr. Merola was recently elected to a seventh term which makes him the longest serving Clerk in County history. Under his leadership, the Clerk’s office has fully computerized all operations and is a statewide leader in e-recording and e filing of all land and court records in addition to a customer friendly website which allows for on line search and retrieval of documents. The Rensselaer County DMV has been recognized as the leading DMV in the Capital Region in terms of customer service and operational efficiency. As a result, County Clerk Frank J. Merola has been recognized by his peers as a statewide leader among County Clerks due to excellence of office operations.
Prior to his election as County Clerk, Frank Merola served as Deputy County Clerk in charge of the County Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), the largest department in the County Clerk's office from 1987 to 1997. As Deputy County Clerk for the DMV, Mr. Merola served as Rensselaer County liaison for all motor vehicle activities with the State DMV Commissioner, initiated a one-stop efficient operation procedure for the County DMV that eliminated needless red tape and duplication of services, and began scheduling evening hours in the County DMV designed to accommodate the needs of County residents.
Family
Frank and his wife Nina reside in North Greenbush and have five children and nine grandchildren.
Community & Service
County Clerk Merola serves as Chairman of the Motor Vehicles Committee for the New York State Association of County Clerks (NYSACC) and also serves as Vice Chairman of the Hudson Valley County Clerk region. Mr. Merola has been a member of NYSACC since 1998. Mr. Merola was the 1999 recipient of the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles Service award, recipient of the 1st annual Jack Dwyer award in 2001, 2003 recipient of the Troy Boy's Club Community Service Award, a 2004 recipient of the NYS Archives award for Advocacy on behalf of Records Management and the 2005 recipient of the annual Rensselaer County Sheriff's award for honesty, integrity and dedication in serving county residents.
Mr. Merola is the former owner and operator of S&M Grocery and Mr. Freeze Soft Serve Ice Cream, both businesses located in Troy. Frank is a past member of the Troy Chamber of Commerce, Troy Kiwanis Club and the Italian Community Center. Frank was involved with:
- Gardner Dickinson Girl's Basketball
- Sand Lake Youth Soccer Organization
- South Troy Pop Warner Football
- St. Jude's Girl's Basketball
- Twin Town Little League