Bob Evans at the Red Bank Centennial picnic in 2008.
Red Bank Parks & Rec director Bob Evans appears to be out of a job come January 1.
“It doesn’t look like the reappointment will be made,” Mayor Pasquale Menna told redbankgreen late yesterday, in response to questions over whether Evans had been fired earlier this week.
Menna, citing state regulations regarding government personnel matters, said he could not discuss Evans’ status, except to say that “he’s taking some personal time at this point.”
Evans could not be reached for comment. Two sources say that Evans was “shocked” to be told by borough Administrator Stanley Sickels on Wednesday that he was being terminated for mismanagement of the department.
The sources also said that Sickels and public works director Gary Watson escorted Evans out of borough hall after giving him notice. Menna says that’s not so.
Evans is widely credited for having brought order to a chaotic department, expanding its catalog of sports and games for kids and working with the school board to institute an all-day summer school.
Under Evans, the department also implemented it a full array of summer entertainment programming for families and adults.
In line to replace Evans, according to borough hall scuttlebutt, is Rumson Parks & Rec director John Hird. This morning, Hird referred all questions about the matter to Sickels, who did not respond to a phone message Thursday night.
Hird worked as a paid consultant to the Red Bank department some years ago.
The post is slated for a salary of $73,529 under a draft ordinance that’s expected to be up for a vote by the council next Tuesday at 6:30p.
