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WEST MILFORD - Council reopens search for administrator
(by David M. Zimmer - Staff Writer - October 10, 2008)
WEST MILFORD - Months after ending an unsuccessful search for a new township administrator, the Township Council has called for the process to resume as Antoinette Battaglia has been working more than 60 hours a week as both the township’s administrator and clerk since March.
Councilman Carmelo Scangarello said during the Oct. 8 Township Council meeting that he has grown concerned about the toll working two full-time positions for 10-11 hours daily, six days a week, must take on Battaglia.
Battaglia has stated a number of times that she does not want to be the township administrator and that she is happy with her position as clerk. And while she has remained consistent with her work, Scangarello said he has concerns that Battaglia might leave the township altogether if she has to fill both positions during the remainder of her 12-month contract.
“Sooner or later a person may get burned out and that takes a toll on everybody,” Scangarello said. “Not everybody can last for seven months and be accountable.”
Council President Joseph Smolinski said he was “negligent” when he voted for the extended dual-position contract, and would like to see the burden of the extra position taken off Battaglia.
“I would never have agreed to allow a 12-month period for temporary staffing of any position,” he said. “It is a lot (of work), it’s a very demanding position and I certainly don’t want to jeopardize an excellent clerk.”
Scangarello said the administration should resume its search for a full-time administrator and start advertising for qualified candidates.
Smolinski said the old committee charged with finding a new administrator, which both he and Councilman Philip Weisbecker Jr. were on, was unsuccessful to the point where he and Weisbecker were removed and the committee was disbanded.
He added that he would like to see the search start up again as he thought the mayor had options when the committee rejected qualified candidates that she said, “had all the right answers.”
“The mayor said she had other options, I was anxious to see the other options but they never came to reality,” Smolinski said.
Mayor Bettina Bieri said the two experienced candidates that Smolinski said he liked were too polished, too practiced. She said there were also concerns about the experience level of the most promising candidate, because he came from a tiny town. Of the two candidates, one withdrew his application and the other retired, she added.
Bieri said she was going to advertise and start a new committee with new members, but did not rule out relying on networking to ultimately find the next township administrator. She said the township’s new health officer, William Wallace, was eventually found by networking even though they advertised for that position twice.
She said she is aware of the need for the administrator, but added that with a shortage of qualified applicants statewide, an even longer process may be needed to find what they found in Wallace: the right fit.
“I will not settle for this position,” she said. “I will not hire somebody at $100,000 to $120,000 … If it is not somebody that I cam comfortable with, that can handle this job, that will represent the entire township, and has the skills needed.”
Scangarello said this delay has been an injustice to the clerk and the township. Ignoring the situation, rejecting qualified applicants and waiting for administrators to fall in your lap are all poor decisions for the township.
He said the township should look to the most experienced members of the council, Councilmen Weisbecker and Smolinski, to determine who would fit best in the township since they have worked with previous administrators. The mayor only worked with an administrator besides Battaglia for two months, he added.
“I think enough time has gone,” Scangarello said. “This administration has a responsibility to this township to start a search and not just wait for someone to pop up on our front door.
“I know there are very few (administrators) out there, but at this rate we have a chance of losing what we all said is a terrific clerk,” he said.
“I would certainly agree and I am glad to hear the council agrees that she is a gem and we certainly don’t want to lose her,” Bieri said.
Nevertheless, a previous administration also contracted a clerk to be an administrator for a year, she said.
“The difference there is that previous governing body authorized two full-time salaries to do the job so that pensions were increased,” Bieri said.
Under this current agreement, the township is actually saving $10,000 a month while benefiting from increased efficiency that has this administration moving more agenda items than any other in West Milford’s history, she said.
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