Borough hall remains closed due to the pandemic, so the council will meet again via Zoom. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
The Red Bank council will officially start the search for a new borough administrator when it meets this week.
Not on the agenda: a measure to authorize a charter study to review the form of government in place here since 1908.
Police Chief Darren McConnell will serve as interim administrator while a search firm seeks a permanent replacement. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
Under professional services contract worth $15,000, the council plans to hire the Canning Group, a “municipal management” consulting company based in Morristown, to conduct the search for a successor to Ziad Shehady.
Shehady announced his resignation after three years as business administrator on April 8. His departure becomes effective May 6.
Until a permanent replacement is hired, police Chief Darren McConnell will serve as administrator. He’ll be paid a stipend of $6,500 per month, according to the authorizing resolution.
The search firm will be required to submit a disclosure avowing that it hasn’t has made any reportable contributions to a borough political candidate or committee in the past year.
Not yet on the agenda is any action to kick off a move toward a possible change in the form of government.
Earlier this month, four members of the all-Democratic council – Kate Triggiano, Hazim Yassin, Kathy Horgan and Erik Yngstrom – joined with Mayor Pasquale Menna to endorse the idea of a charter study commission, with a potential change to elections to make it easier for non-aligned candidates to compete.
The issue would first need to be discussed at a workshop session, the next one of which is scheduled for May 5.
Also not on the agenda, but a possible topic of discussion, is an update on another matter that has sharply divided the all-Democratic council: an email leak.
Here’s the complete agenda. The council convenes at 6:30 p.m., also via Zoom, as well as by Facebook Live. Access and participation information is here.
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