Executor's personal liability for debt of the deceased?

I am in the state of New York. As executor of my mother's Will can I be personally liable for any of my mother's debts? This is a simple Will as it is under $20,000. Some one at the Surrogate court implied that I could have some liability which does not make sense to me.

As long as I follow the correct procedure and do not mishandle any money that passes through the estate, my mother's creditors can not come after me or my personal assets can they?

Thank you!

Val
[email protected]

The executor has no personal liability for debt--please disregard the careless remark that this person made without clarifying exactly what they meant. As long as there is enough money in estate assets to pay off debts, then there is nothing to be concerned about.