MANCHESTER – Officials congratulated personnel director James Gant on being appointed assistant business administrator. The Township Council, with Mayor Kenneth Palmer’s and Business Administrator Donna Markulic’s endorsement, unanimously approved Gant’s appointment at its most recent meeting.
Gant will help Markulic shoulder some of the responsibilities in the administration office, especially when Markulic takes vacation or has to be out of the office for any other reasons. What exactly that will look like still needs to be finalized, and can change under differing circumstances, both Gant and Markulic said.
The municipal government, up to this point, didn’t have an assistant or deputy business administrator. When Markulic was away, her duties were split between the chief financial officer and municipal clerk. Now there will be a better defined hierarchy.
The business administrator said she did interview other department heads for the job, but because she already works so closely with Gant in her current capacity, felt he was the best for the job.
“I want to thank the mayor and council for pushing this along. I’m excited for the opportunity, thrilled,” Gant said. “I look forward to assisting the township and its leadership, and I look forward to what’s ahead.”
The new position is a stipend appointment of $7,500. Gant will officially start July 30. This appointment doesn’t affect his job as personnel director. He’s been employed with the township seven years.
The business administrator is the head of the day-to-day operations of a municipal government. All the department heads answer to him or her.
