By Charles Layton
The Neptune Township Committee voted Monday to hire Vito Gadaleta as an assistant to the Township’s business administrator, Philip Huhn, with the expectation that Gadaleta will step into Huhn’s job when Huhn retires at the end of the year.
The choice was extremely controversial within the Neptune Democratic Party, because James Manning, a three-time former Neptune mayor, had applied for the job with the backing of some powerful party leaders. Committeewoman Mary Beth Jahn has said she refused to support the hiring of Manning because she did not think he was qualified. The current mayor, Randy Bishop of Ocean Grove, sided with Jahn in what became and remains a bitter intraparty dispute.
When the issue came to a vote at the Committee’s regular meeting on Monday night, three of the four present members voted to hire Gadaleta, with only Committeeman Eric Houghtaling voting no. Bishop announced that the fifth committeeman, Kevin McMillan, who was absent, also supported Gadaleta. Houghtaling declined to give a reason for his no vote. (All five members of the Committee are Democrats.)
Vito Gadaleta. Photo from Facebook
Gadaleta has served for the past four years as the borough administrator in Pompton Lakes, N.J. He retired from that job on January 1, apparently expecting that he would soon be going to work in Neptune. Meanwhile, he continued to do part-time consulting for Pompton Lakes.
Previously, he had served as business administrator in Loch Arbour, and before that in Allenhurst.
Neptune is hiring him to the newly created part-time position of “assistant business administrator” at a salary of $60,000, with an opportunity to be promoted later to Huhn’s job. “This is a test drive to see how it works out,” Bishop said, adding that there is “no guarantee” of a promotion later on, only the chance to earn one.
Huhn is in his 14th year as business administrator and makes approximately $151,000 a year.
Ex-mayor Manning had sought the job. Photo by Mary Walton
Although Committeeman Michael Brantley voted in favor of hiring Gadaleta, in doing so he expressed concern about a lack of racial diversity in the Neptune Township government, especially within the police department, which he said had a history of “cronyism and preferential hiring.” He said there was a “glass ceiling” for minority promotions.
Brantley said he had questioned the top job candidates about “this flaw” and that he hoped to work with Gadaleta to correct the problem. Later in the meeting, Brantley moderated his remarks, saying that the problem was more “perceived” than real in recent years. “Neptune has moved quite a distance from that,” he said, and he hoped the new administrator would make it clear to the community that “things are not like they used to be.”
Gadaleta is to begin work on May 1.
Mr. Gadaleta’s salary will be $60,000. I mistakenly stated that Mr. Gadaleta held a NJ CFO certification; he does not.
Yes, I could use a $60,000 job, too, since I am independently contracting as a technology consultant overnights and helping my mother take care of my father, who has renal cancer, and who have moved in with us, sending me and my cats down to the finished basement, since my cats don’t like their dogs. (Reminder: Township Committee folks receive yearly stipends of about $7,000 — I’m not exactly sure of the number — with the mayor receiving about $1,500 more — broken down monthly, and we do not receive health benefits or receive Township cars, cell phones, or computers, nor do we have support personnel assigned solely to us. The Township Committee seats are not full-time positions; we each still need a job for mortgage payments, etc., and health benefits.)
Disheartened, those certifications are actually vital to becoming a business administrator, CFO or clerk in a New Jersey municipality. While it is not required to be certified as a business administrator, the state mandates municipal clerks, CFOs, tax assessors, tax collectors, vital statistics registrars and purchasing agents take state classes, pass the certification ECM and then take continuing education classes to maintain that certification. (Mike Bascom, Rick Cuttrell, Hugh Hinds, Ed Hudson and Bernie Haney all are entitled by the state to use their certification initials after their name on official business. For example, Rick Cuttrell is permitted to identify himself on correspondence as Richard Cuttrell, CMC.)
One of the advantages of having someone with multiple certifications is that they can step in if someone leaves or retires. Even though we have an assistant CFO, municipal clerk, and purchasing agent, we have the flexibility of having someone who can lead another department if the need arises.
Yes, Chuck, that is true.
Frank, I will double-check the salary for Mr. Gadaleta. I do know that whoever the full-time administrator will be will not receive the same salary as our current business administrator, and potentially fewer perks. I will report back to you.
Don’t worry, that 50k can be recovered by the township not paying for committee members to go to classes and seminars so they can discuss such pointless things as baggy pants. I’m glad to see we’re no longer paying for Kevin McMillan to galavant around the state and hang out with his buds from Trenton and Camden. Is it true the taxpayers aren’t footing the bill for the yearly trip to the den of iniquity that is the League of Municipalities?
My skeptical-these-days nature is making me wonder how meaningful these various certifications are to advancing one’s skill level versus career advancement.
Now I am riled up further. EMM’s reply states that pay range for this position started at $10,000. Yet because of his ” many skills and experience. ” chosen candidate is being payed 6x that amount.
In a time when so many people are unemployed and unable to find work, that Neptune has created a previously non-existing part-time position as a test drive and is paying six times ($60,000) starting pay range is just plain wrong.
I understand you, Maxster, and I thank you for your kind words. I still believe, however, there are a few potentially strong Republican candidates who, for whatever reason, have chosen not to run. It would very interesting if they did choose to run.
Frank, one of the reasons Mr.Gadaleta is coming in at a higher salary is because of his multiple certifications – he is a state-certified business administrator, CFO, and holds an international certification, along with a New Jersey certification, as a municipal clerk. In addition, Mr. Gadaleta is qualified to be a civilian public safety director, should Neptune ever choose to not replace a police chief. He is not eligible, as a part-time employee, for health benefits, inclusion in the pension program, or to be issued a township-owned vehicle. (Mayor Bishop wants to review our policy on take-home vehicles, but that’s another story.)
In short, I understand and agree with your concens, Frank, about how your tax dollars are being spent on the part-time administrator. In my opinion, given Mr. Gadaleta’s many skills and experience, we chose tthe best candidate available. I completely respect your opinions and concerns, Frank, and will keep them in mind as we evaluate his performance.
And yes, Mr. Gadaleta was employed by Neptune in different departments for about ten years in the 1980s, which is why his name may be familiar.
I saw the ad for the position of “assistant business administrator” in the Asbury Park Press Sunday Feb19. The closing date was Feb 20th which was President’s Day, You couldn’t even go down to the township that day to put in a resume even if you were so inclined. The pay range started at 10K for this part time position. I guess there must be something stellar about Mr. Gadaleta that makes him worth $60K of our tax dollars. I still can’t help wonder, if the closing date was on a working business day instead of a holiday, would we get a qualified person for less money?
Mary Beth Jahn : You seem to be missing my point. It is not a question of WHO was hired. I know nothing about Vito Gadaleta. Nor am I either a Republican or a Democrat. I simply am a Neptune taxpayer who is sick of high taxes and having my taxes spent foolishly and incorrectly. Again my criticism is that Neptune CREATED a $60,000 PART TIME position as a TEST DRIVE to see if the person would work out.
Someone told me Vito Gadaleta was the Neptune Township Zoning Officer at one time.
Mary Beth,
Come on now, you know that Republicans can no longer win in Neptune. The voter registrations say so; the demographics say so; the lack of Republican leadership says so; and the lack of Republican candidates says so.
I’m an Independent, but I know what reality is with Neptune’s political landscape.
That said, I am glad Manning did not get the job. While I don’t know anything about the guy who got it, you fought the right fight.
And, I hope things work out for you in the primary.
We sold some (very) used vehicles to Pompton Lakes last year. We’ve also sold some to Asbury Park, Neptune City, and whatever other municipalities may respond to our ad.
Neptune Fire District has, in the recent past, also purchased a good-condition ladder fire truck from Wisconsin at a great price and the Police Department picked up about 10 fully-equipped (lights, computer stand, cage, etc.) police cars from a dealership in Monroeville, PA, outside of Pittsburgh, for which a police department in that area had canceled their order. It’s all about getting the best price, whether we’re buying or selling.
No matter who we hired, there would be criticism. And Maxster, if you really believe that whole “built-in constituency” theory, why not work to change it? That record has been played so many times, I’m surprised it hasn’t fallen apart.
Didn’t Neptune do some sort of deal last year with Pompton Lakes regarding surplus fleet vehicles? Coincidental if it was…
I could use a FULL time job that pays 60 grand!
Frank, Good Point.
But NO ONE in Neptune will ever get that message. The Dems have a built in constituency in Midtown and can continue to do things without fear of retribution.
So Neptune CREATES a new position that pays $60,000 a year for PART TIME work for a “TEST DRIVE to see how it works out. ” It’s no wonder why our taxes are so high.