JACKSON – Council President Jennifer Kuhn has called for an internal review of several crucial departments of the township by Business Administrator Terence Wall.
That request came during the latest meeting of the Township Council after Councilman Giuseppe Palmeri brought up some concerns he had about the hiring of a temporary chief financial officer.
Palmeri noted on the night’s agenda an open professional service contract with PM Consultants, LLC, in Brick Township. The firm is owned by John Barrett whose consultancy services cover all aspects of government finance for counties and municipalities.
A resolution called for appointing that firm as temporary chief financial officer of the township at a cost not to exceed $175 per hour.
“In reviewing the resolutions, I saw that our CFO had resigned, so I guess we are looking at a temporary consultant. So I did some research into this particular consultant and I saw John Barrett is the owner of PM Consultants LLC and when I went in to research his experience – and I did see quite a bit – but a few things I found alarming that I’d like to bring forward,” Palmeri said.
Palmeri started to speak but was cut off after starting to read his remark about, “one of the articles I read from Jan. 16, 2019 was from NJ.com.”
Wall noted that Barrett was in the audience and asked if counsel should permit further reference to the councilman’s subject. Kuhn quickly responded that the councilman’s remarks should be heard. “A councilman can speak at a council meeting and it is something we are voting on.”
Palmeri himself asked Township Attorney Kelsey McGuckin Anthony if he was permitted to speak in regards to the online article to which the attorney replied, “the councilman has the right to comment on a matter that is on the agenda.”
He resumed reading the article which stated, “Barrett, Hamilton Township’s chief financial officer of a decade was spending more time away from Hamilton in the first half of the year working as a consultant for other towns, abused his sick time to accomplish his side career.”
“That was just one article and there were many. A second article was from The Trentonian and administrative law Judge Jeff Mason wrote in a strongly worded 88-page slap down, found Barrett to be insubordinate and untrustworthy by abusing the township’s sick leave policy among other transgressions,” the councilman added.
Palmeri added, “I am quoting from Judge Mason, ‘I found John Barrett abused Hamilton Township’s sick day policy. I concluded that there can be no doubt whatsoever that Mr. Barrett engaged in conduct unbecoming of a public official.’ This is just some of what I found so it made me feel slightly uncomfortable to appoint PM Consultants, that the owner is Mr. Barrett as our chief financial officer so with that I would have to vote no on resolution 91-25.”
Kuhn concurred that she had seen the same information online. “I do not feel comfortable with the stuff that was on the internet being our chief financial officer department and our finance department and with that being said, Mr. Wall, I would formerly request that the administration conduct an internal review of several departments beginning with the department of public works, the police department, code enforcement and the building department as well as the clerk’s office. The focus of this review should be to staffing levels and other related concerns.”
The Council President read a statement from the dais saying, “it is of great concern that this company and this man was put on the agenda. I don’t know if the due diligence was done but the little I did, I was extremely concerned and I will also be voting no on resolution 91-25.”
“I concur also,” Councilman Nino Borrelli said. “I will also vote no on resolution 91-25 and I will also have to vote no on resolution 76-25 as well.” That resolution concerned the hiring of a foreclosure attorney.
“I also concur on that. I think we need a change with that in that department due to the recent ordinance and stuff we’ve been doing. I agree with you on 76-25,” Kuhn said. “That would be for foreclosure attorney and for the law office of John Novak.”
Novak is a member of the Barnegat Committee and his law office is based in Toms River Township.
Wall said, “you will be leaving the municipality, the township of Jackson without a CFO. You are putting us in a grave financial risk, probably at odds with the state of New Jersey. I certainly appreciate any roll call or vote you wish to do but I want you to know that the Council will be leaving Jackson Township naked from a financial standpoint. We have no CFO and I had no knowledge…”
Kuhn cut Wall off from his remarks saying, “Mr. Wall you are not stating facts. I talk to you 10 times a day. You said that we have part time staff. I have spoken to them. The bills will be paid. This man is not fit for our town. We need a change.”
“The due diligence was not done. He is not fit,” Kuhn added.
“I will be asking for a special meeting so we can appoint a new CFO at some point shortly,” Wall commented.
Palmeri noted that since the administration put this on the agenda the applicant should have been vetted before it reached the council agenda.
Barrett spoke during the public comment period saying, “I was looking forward to helping Jackson Township.” He told the township attorney that he and her father Assemblyman and sometimes Township Attorney Gregory McGuckin were friends. “I spent my career as a government auditor. I worked proudly in Hamilton Township for many years. I was a whistle blower in Hamilton Township but I am not here to defend myself I am here to introduce myself.”
He noted the case of a sudden resignation of CFO and Deputy CFO in Jackson saying, “I came in here to help. Working in a town that Ms. Martin (new township clerk Sandra Martin) had worked, I was looking forward to working with her. The fact of the matter is the charges in regard to the Hamilton matter were dropped. The mayor lost her election and the new mayor who came in decided it was political revenge. It was something that did not match the charges and if you look at the detail of the 88 pages, the one thing they did say was that I did abuse sick time. The person who was in charge of monitoring my sick time was the brother-in-law of the mayor and involved in the retaliation. I hope that you and Mr. Wall can find a replacement for the two people you lost.”
Kuhn noted that Barrett’s signature was on the township’s bank account “even before you were officially appointed. That doesn’t raise a red flag? That was enough for me.”
Palmeri asked McGuckin-Anthony if that was even legal for this to have happened and she noted it may have been done by a mayor’s declaration.
Wall however said that the banking statements Kuhn saw and refused to sign with Barrett’s signature were part of advance paperwork put in place were he to be approved. Wall tore them up at the dais and noted urgency in moving forward on the work with the retirement of Sharon Pinkava, the township’s Chief Financial Officer of 27 years. She is also a resident of the township.
McGuckin-Anthony clarified Township Clerk Sandra Martin’s call for the two resolutions to be removed off the consent agenda so that they could be voted on separately.
Resolution 76-25 was reworded by the clerk to deny the contract to Novak’s reappointment which Kuhn, Borrelli and Palmeri voted for but which Council Vice President Mordechai Burnstein voted against with a no vote. Councilman Scott Sargent was absent from the meeting. That motion was approved.
The same rewording was done for resolution 91-25 denying the contract to PM Consultants LLC and that motion was unanimously passed. Neither firm will be working for Jackson Township.
