Tag Archives: Rick Proctor

City Council

Council overrides mayor’s anti-nepotism veto

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In another instance where the City Council and Mayor Rick Proctor parted ways, the governing body on Monday night voted unanimously (9-0) to override his veto of an ordinance that would have established an “anti-nepotism policy” within the city’s personnel policies.

“Never in a million years did I expect an official in Rahway would veto” an anti-nepotism ordinance, 6th Ward Councilman Samson Steinman said at Monday night’s meeting. He cited an anti-nepotism bill at the state level, introduced by Amy Handlin (R-Monmouth), and reiterated a statement from the assemblywoman about the need for such legislation.

Proctor and the City Council sparred earlier this year over allegations that he tried to get his wife hired as the new health officer, a position he held for several years before becoming mayor. The council originally adopted the ordinance Nov. 14 and the mayor vetoed the measure (O-33-11) on Nov. 23. In his remarks at the Nov. 14 meeting, Proctor said he found it odd that the co-sponsor of the city’s anti-nepotism ordinance was the “same council member who called me in June begging for a job for his child this summer,” referring to 1st Ward Councilman Robert Rachlin, who seconded the measure with Steinman as the primary sponsor.

Former Mayor James Kennedy had an interesting comment about the veto in today’s Star-Ledger story: “What the heck is he thinking?” Proctor was Democratic municipal chairman for many years during Kennedy’s tenure as mayor. “Just when you thought you’d heard it all. The veto was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in politics,” Kennedy told the Ledger.

In a memo to the city clerk Nov. 23, Proctor outlined several reasons for his veto, including exposure to lawsuits based on racial and religious discrimination and jeopardizing the city’s status as an equal opportunity employer. He also believed it conflicts with the open competitive process set forth by the state Civil Service Commission and is discriminatory “on face value by eliminating potentially qualified job candidates solely on the basis of relationship.”

Hiring of personnel originates with directors and the business administrator, not the mayor and council, so Proctor argued that influence would be exerted at that level. “If the ordinance is going to be more than just window dressing…the scope should be expanded to include department directors and administrator at a minimum. Even a cursory review of nepotistic relationships among city employees will support this argument,” he wrote.

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City Council

Council reduces mayor’s pay by unanimous vote

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The City Council last night night unanimously (9-0) approved a salary ordinance (0-38-11) that will slash the mayor’s pay by 68 percent, effective Jan. 1, 2012. Entering the second year of a four-year term, Mayor Rick Proctor will see the salary for his part-time post reduced from $65,000 to $20,809.

As he has maintained for weeks, the mayor said the move by City Council is “political payback” for seeking accountability. “I refused to go along with business as usual approach to management. And now I am paying the price,” he wrote in a three-page memo to Council President David Brown dated yesterday. Accompanying the memo was a bar graph indicating the percentage increase in salary ranges for management personnel under the proposed ordinance, most of which were 0 to 4 percent — except for the mayor’s position.

“Passage of this ordinance is fiscally irresponsible and totally unnecessary given that a valid ordinance is in effect. If passed, your actions will make it clear that the only purpose is to attack the mayor’s salary,” Proctor wrote. He claimed the governing body is purposely deviating from past practice that has been in effect for 20 years, where the council adopts the municipal budget, and then, based on available funding, passes a salary ordinance for management personnel.

“No one in this city is foolish enough to believe that you take this action pursuant to a reasoned, thoughtful consideration of its consequences,” Proctor wrote. “This council acts now based on politics, in an arbitrary and capricious manner. You have allowed this legislative body to be coerced by a small but threatening minority whose political rewards have been threatened by me as mayor.” (All nine council members and the mayor are Democrats.)

The few residents who were in attendance Monday night spoke at the public meeting. Scott Caffee of West Scott Avenue, a frequent attendee at City Council meetings in recent months, agreed that the mayor’s pay cut was a “personal, calculated” move by the governing body and suggested reducing everyone’s salary. Frequent council critic Patrick Cassio, the local Republican chairman and a candidate against Proctor last year, questioned why the council did not act in January when Proctor took office and what happened between now and the last election season cycle when other council members campaigned for the mayor.

Sixth Ward Councilman Samson Steinman, who worked on Proctor’s mayoral campaign last fall, conceded the pay cut should have been done a year ago, making the point that department heads who replaced longtime directors in recent years also were brought in at lower salaries. He continued to reject claims that the pay cut was a personal slight against the mayor.

Floren Robinson of Essex Street feared that cutting the salary will discourage qualified people who might want to run and not incentivize people to work to better the city or deal with all that it takes to be mayor. “Fighting over a few thousand dollars is not going to help the city,” she said. Her husband, Michael Pressman, a compensation consultant by trade, told the council that compensation can “serve as a powerful performance motivator” and in any situation where a person is replacing an incumbent, they’re aware of the terms prior to their new role. He said the city needs a cooperative government and an engaged mayor, emphasizing his concerns that the ordinance will have a negative impact.

Steinman countered that the mayor’s position is not a job as much as it is public service. “To look at the mayor’s job as a job is totally wrong,” he said. Fifth Ward Councilwoman Jennifer Wenson-Maier suggested that some highly qualified mayors in other Union County towns make $1 in their positions, such as Fanwood’s Colleen Mahr. Council members earn $8,043 and also are considered part-time posts.

Other council members didn’t speak on the salary ordinance directly, alluding to it and other critiques in their public comments. Councilman At Large James Baker called some of the criticisms of the council “out of line, not based on any sound perspective.” He said the accomplishments by this council and mayor are often “overlooked or oversimplified. We make difficult decisions in a proactive and positive way and the public is not necessarily aware of these things.”

Brown, the council president and representative to the Fourth Ward, suggested that when the current council majority took control of the governing body in 1996, “downtown was a ghost town.” Some of those same council members, he added, have been responsible for bringing millions of dollars into the city.

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City Council

Poll results: Reduce mayor and Council salaries

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More than a third of voters in our latest poll agreed that City Council should reduce the mayor’s salary, with another quarter adding that salaries for City Council members should be cut as well.

The City Council is scheduled to vote on a salary ordinance tomorrow night that would reduce the mayor’s salary by 68 percent, to $20,809.

Should the City Council reduce the mayor’s salary?* Yes. 34 percent (44/128 votes)
* Yes, but they should all be cut, including Council members. 23 percent (30/128)
* Not only cut, but salaries for all elected officials, and then some, should be cut. 17 percent (23/128)
* No. 12 percent, (16/128)
* No; you get what you pay for; they should be paid something to attract worthy candidates. 7 percent (10/128)
* Times are tough, make cuts wherever you can. 3 percent (5/128)

There were a total 128 votes cast in the latest poll and there was as smattering of votes both for and against that I received via email, which I’m not sure if they actually went to the site and clicked on the poll.

I always like to offer more than a yes/no question in the poll, and I realized too late (after I’d posted it and some votes had already come in) that I should’ve had another option, something like, “No, it reeks of political retribution,” since that’s what the mayor is claiming. Perhaps that would’ve gotten some more votes for the no group, or least another option, compared to the three “Yes” options. Either way, about three quarters of the votes favored a reduction in some way, and 40 percent wanted to cut all salaries, not just the mayor’s. In all, 20 percent of votes said don’t cut the mayor’s salary.

Remember this is a simple poll that, if you have enough time to waste, can be manipulated. It’s not exactly scientific.

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City Council

City Council set to vote on mayor’s salary cut

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The City Council is set to vote on a salary ordinance Monday night that would reduce the mayor’s salary by 68 percent. The council also is expected to override Mayor Rick Proctor’s veto of an anti-nepotism ordinance (O-33-11) as well as vote on a PILOT for the Meridia Water’s Edge development (O-29-11).

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City Council

City Council moves to slash mayor’s salary

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The City Council introduced a salary ordinance Monday night that would slash the mayor’s salary by 68 percent, drawing a 5-minute rebuke from Mayor Rick Proctor in which he called the move an abuse of legislative power and political retribution.

The ordinance (O-38-11), which will be up for a final vote and public hearing at the Dec. 12 meeting, would set an annual salary for the mayor’s position of $20,809 — a 68-percent reduction from $65,000. The salary ordinance passed 8-0 (one absent) and would take effect Jan. 1. City Council members, who received a roughly 2 percent increase in the previous salary ordinance adopted in September, would remain at the same pay level of $8,043 in the new ordinance ($9,676 for the council president).

“This isn’t about Rahway. This is about a political falling out and an abuse of legislative power. This is a personal vendetta, not public policy. This is not about Rahway, this is about vindictiveness. Am I bitter? Yeah, I am. I’m human,” said Proctor, adding that he took a $50,000 pay cut to run for mayor.

Proctor said $50,000 could be saved if City Council members cut their salary by 68 percent. He rattled off figures indicating that from 2005 to 2011, certain department heads saw their salaries rise as much as 30 to 40 percent. During the same six-year period, the mayor said City Council increased its own salary by 18 percent. “That’s preposterous, and sends a very clear message to the public that you’re either going to sleep through this recession or feel entitled to inflict economic pain to insulate yourself from sacrifices,” said Proctor. “I’m certain that the public will recognize that this ordinance stinks of retribution,” he said.

“Every day the people of Rahway suffering from economic hardship and the only solution you can come up with is to pick my pocket,” said Proctor. “That is inspired leadership.”

The mayor has been at odds with the City Council, as well as City Administrator and Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier, since at least the summer, when the governing body rejected his bid to add staff within his office, and claimed he tried to have his wife hired as health officer.

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City Council

City officials now openly at odds

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If you thought last month’s disagreement over the mayor’s request for two support staff might be a rare public spat, now it’s just open warfare among the administration and City Council — despite the fact that all members of the same political party (Democrat). Monday’s public meeting brought more allegations, complaints and condemnations, a day after reports about the city’s lack of a full-time health officer.

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City Council

Council rejects mayor’s request for two staff

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The City Council on Monday night rebuffed Mayor Rick Proctor’s move to add two positions to his office, a proposal that wasn’t supported by his own business administrator.

The mayor had sought a full-time executive secretary with a salary range of $45,000-$55,000 and a part-time chief of staff with a salary of $45,000. The two positions were removed from the salary ordinance (which sets the range for a variety of titles within the city) during the governing body’s pre-meeting conference and later voted unanimously to introduce the measure at its regular meeting. A public hearing and final approval will be held during the council’s Sept. 12 regular meeting.

City Administrator and Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier told council members Monday night that he was not in favor of the two positions “in light of the fact that we’re trying to control taxes and spending.” He did not understand the need for a chief of staff, though he “understood somewhat” the secretary’s position, adding that the mayor could be accommodate with existing staff. “It’s not in our best interest to move a secretary from another department to the mayor’s office,” Pelissier said.

If $100,000 is added to the city budget, Pelissier said it would be better spent hiring firefighters and making promotions, as has been debated in the past, though there’s a question whether even that is sustainable. Last month, representatives of Firemen’s Mutual Benevolent Association (FMBA) Local 33 appeared before the City Council to increase staffing levels. Several council members expressed a desire to hire two firefighters over two administrative posts.

Whether there is $100,000 available in the budget remains to be seen, as planning on the 2012 budget moves ahead this fall. City Attorney Louis Rainone reminded council members that the ordinance merely authorizes the city to pay these salaries. Whether there are funds available, that decision comes when the budget is deliberated.

The executive secretary post has been vacant for five or six years and Proctor said the previous mayor at one time or another had a chief of staff or executive secretary during his tenure. A chief of staff is a more of a policy aide and with all that’s going on with economic development and the Arts District, “there’s a lot to get a handle on,” he said, adding that there have been a few items he hasn’t been able to implement since taking office. Existing staff could be moved from another office to fill the executive secretary post, so it’s not necessarily adding a position but just result in some bumping, he said.

The chief of staff would be new but Proctor said he has the duty to spend money responsibly, and as needs of the city evolve, he must respond appropriately. A chief of staff would help to move the city forward more effectively. The position more focused on policy development and planning while a city administrator handles day-to-day operations and assists in the planning the budget and other business functions.

There were no objections raised, according to Proctor, when he discussed it with the administrator on Friday. He was “very disappointed that City Council members did not seek additional information” on the positions before removing them from the ordinance. “It felt like the whole thing was a little orchestrated,” Proctor said in a telephone interview Tuesday. The mayor said he’s been evaluating city operations and has attempted to change the “business as usual attitude,” but when he tries to implement changes, he gets “a lot of pushback.”

Second Ward Councilman Michael Cox asked what impact there might be if the measure was tabled. Pelissier said most management employees are expecting a 2-percent salary increase (unless it’s been adjusted for specific reasons), and if the ordinance were table, approval would not come until October, with payment retroactive to July.

The motion to remove the positions and vote on the ordinance was made by 6th Ward Councilman Samson Steinman and seconded by 5th Ward Councilwoman Jennifer Wenson-Maier. The ordinance was introduced unanimously. The ordinance set a rate of $65,000 for the mayor; $110,000-$163,344 for the city administrator, and $8,043 for council members ($9,676 for council president). The council’s rate represents an increase from $7,740 ($303, or 4 percent).

During the public portion of the meeting, representatives of FMBA Local 33 lobbied for hiring three firefighters and promoting two others.

Proctor said the need exists and he will continue to press to improve outreach, and though he wasn’t sure what form it would take, he would continue to push for the position. “Hopefully with the business administrator and City Council’s cooperation.”

In general, it’s uncommon for an administration to disagree so publicly, especially when they’re all from the same party (in this case, Democrats). Even for the City Council, it’s been rare to see members break from the administration or voice much dissent on most issues in recent years.

Asked how he would describe his relationship with the city administrator, Proctor said: “Developing.” Proctor took office in January, reappointing Pelissier to another four-year term following many years as administrator to former Mayor James Kennedy, who did not seek re-election last year.

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City Council, taxes

State of the City 2011

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In this first State of the City address, Mayor Rick Proctor pledged to continue redevelopment focused on the arts, remove barriers to stimulate revitalization and recruit new business and redevelopment projects while beginning to actively market the city.

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