TOWN OFFICIAL QUITS AMID CONTROVERSY OVER CONSERVATIVE BLOG
TRENTONIAN - February 26, 2008 - ROBBINSVILLE - Township economic development coordinator Dan Gallic tendered his resignation to the township council last Thursday, and Township Administrator Mary Caffrey said she’s disgusted with the haters of Mayor David Fried whose Internet blog floggings have apparently forced Gallic out.
Gallic, a consultant, last month published a racially charged version of the “ant and the grasshopper” parable on the “Conservatives With Attitude!” Web site (www.ConservativeswithAttitude.com).
The NAACP cried foul. Mayor Fried, away on a business trip at the time, apologized “to anyone who was offended” and said he’d deal with Gallic’s future once he got home from Florida. (Yesterday, Fried was away in Central America on another business trip and was unavailable for comment on Gallic’s resignation.)
In the original version of the parable, an ant stockpiled food and fuel for the winter while a grasshopper danced the summer away, only to die in the snows that followed. The moral: Be responsible for yourself.
In the modern version, when winter arrives, the shivering grasshopper summons the media. The media shows the ant in his warm house, full of food. Kermit the Frog appears on “Oprah” with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, “It’s Not Easy Being Green.” Jesse Jackson demonstrates. Nancy Pelosi and John Kerry tell Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper. There’s a tax hike to make the ant pay his fair share.
“The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government,” the new blog continues. Hillary and Bill Clinton make sure the ant loses the case. The grasshopper eats the ant’s last food. The house crumbles. The ant disappears in the snow.
“The grasshopper is found dead in a drug-related incident, and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood,” the conservative version says. “Moral of the story: Be careful how you vote in 2008.”
Educator Alex Bethea, president of the NAACP’s Trenton chapter, last month called the parable “immature ... I really don’t have a sufficient response to equal the racist connotation of the article.” (Last night, he added, “I feel bad that it cost (Gallic) his job. An apology would have been just fine. But these things happen.”)
“It wasn’t meant to offend anybody,” Gallic told The Trentonian after deleting the parable. “ ... I thought it was a non-racial retelling of the story that pitted conservatives versus liberals.”
As for exactly when Gallic will be leaving, Robbinsville Administrator Caffrey said that Gallic and Mayor Fried “are working that out. He’s going to be leaving, but the date is uncertain. He’s moving on to probably do some campaign activities. He’s still going to be running the newspaper. But the date is not certain.”
Gallic edits his privately owned monthly newspaper, the Robbinsville Reporter, for which Caffrey also makes story suggestions. He was paid $6,000 a month as a consultant by the township, with part of that going to pay for an office he rented.
Why is he leaving?
“I think he’s just kind of had it,” Caffrey said. “There’s just obviously somebody out in the community that is determined to do everything that they can to portray Dan and the township in a negative light, and I think he’s moving on to other things.”
Asked who that “somebody” might be, Caffrey said, “I don’t have anything that I can share definitively, but Dan has been subjected to an unrelenting stream of attacks on the Internet and misrepresentations of his religion (Roman Catholic) and background to a degree that it’s truly unfortunate.”
“I don’t know who it is,” Caffrey said. “Personally, I think it’s somebody who doesn’t like the mayor. I think it’s somebody who just wants to be a troublemaker. Whoever planted the (parable) story the last time, it was kind of the last straw for him. I think he was rather stunned. Stunned by the whole thing.
“The fact that he resigned in a private session means that someone from the session has obviously broken the seal of executive session on a personnel problem, which is obviously a problem. So the people it (the leak) could have come from is rather small at this point. I would consider that a significant problem.”
She said she wouldn’t advise Gallic to comment.
“I think he’s very disappointed as to how everything has transpired,” she said. “And I can tell you I’m going to try to find out who’s behind this ... We’ll deal with that depending on who it is. If it’s a Council member breaking the seal of executive session on a personnel matter, censure is not out of the question.” She said a censure is “sort of a public reprimand.”
She said Mayor Fried hopes Gallic can wrap up consulting work on two important township economic development initiatives by late Spring before he leaves.
NEW POST WILL DEAL WITH RESIDENTS' CONCERNS
TRENTON TIMES - February 17, 2008 - ROBBINSVILLE - The township administration has tapped a former Hamilton school board member for a new post in the municipal government.
Joy Tozzi will make $42,000 per year as the town's full-time "constituent relations specialist," a position that officials say should improve the administration's ability to respond to residents' questions and complaints.
The township will not spend additional tax dollars to fund Tozzi's post, according to administration officials.
Instead, the township will use money that was freed up when Patricia Barricella, a former administrative clerk, left her job last month.
Officials have expanded the administrative clerk's job description for Tozzi's new post, adding more involvement with the township Web site and more responsibilities in responding to questions from residents.
While "constituent relations specialist" is Tozzi's official title, a voice on her answering machine at the municipal offices refers to her as "assistant to the mayor."
Mayor David Fried explained that one of Tozzi's main responsibilities would be to assist him in responding to the many residents and business owners who come to him with concerns.
"There is a tremendous amount of stuff happening in the town," said Fried. It was "becoming more and more challenging to respond."
The administration considered several candidates, both "internal and external," before settling on Tozzi, according to township administrator Mary Caffrey.
Tozzi, who lives in Hamilton, assumed the new post Monday.
Tozzi resigned from the Hamilton school board at the start of this year just months before her seat was up for re-election.
Tozzi said she left the board to explore full-time employment, and decided to resign at the same time as former member Robert Warney to make the transition for the board easier.
The Hamilton Board of Education decided to replace Tozzi and Warney, who had left for a job in the Hamilton municipal government, with John Hulick and Patricia DelGiudice rather than wait until the April school elections to fill the empty posts.
Hulick and DelGiudice had run unsuccessfully on a Republican-backed slate in the school elections in April and must run again this April to keep their seats.
CONTRACT EXTENDED FOR ECONOMIC CONSULTANT
NJ.COM - December 19, 2007 - WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP - The township council approved extending the contract of the township's economic development coordinator last week by a 4-1 vote.
Dan Gallic, who held the same position this year, will make $72,000 in 2008 as a paid consultant for the township on redevelopment.
Councilman William Lesniak spoke out against the hiring at last week's council meeting, saying that he believed Gallic's position was unnecessary and that other towns have succeeded in economic development efforts without a paid consultant.
Lesniak was the only council member to vote against the hiring. The other four council members voted yes without comment.
Township officials have focused on two redevelopment areas: Town Center South, which is located across Route 33 from the current Town Center, and Gateway South, which consists of several properties to the southeast of the intersection of routes 130 and 526.
THE MESSENGER-PRESS - September 20, 2007 - WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (Mercer County) - The issue regarding former Washington Township Fire District Capt. David Horsnall is scheduled to end up back in court, today, Thursday.
On Aug. 10, state Superior Court Judge Linda Feinberg ruled in favor of Mr. Horsnall, who claimed that the new township Division of Fire — which is what the Fire District became following the dissolution in January — would not hire him after the township dissolved the Fire District.
She ruled that the township must reinstate him with back pay until Jan. 1, effective two weeks after her written decision on Aug. 14 was issued. Mr. Horsnall previously said he made about $70,000 last year, but Township Administrator Mary Caffrey said there is a disagreement over the amount. She said if the township ultimately has to pay him, it will have a detrimental effect on the budget.
Following the dissolution, firefighters were required to interview for positions with the Division of Fire. Mr. Horsnall, after working with the Fire District for 18 years, said he was not given a reason for his loss of employment and filed the lawsuit.
The township, however, filed motion to reconsider the ruling, for which a hearing is scheduled today, Thursday. In response to that motion, Mr. Horsnall’s lawyer, John Rowland, has asked them to withdraw that motion.
Mr. Rowland said this week that the township did not comply with the two weeks it had to make preparations for Mr. Horsnall’s reinstatement.
Because the township was given two weeks, Mr. Horsnall had to be reinstated by Aug. 28, Mr. Rowland said. Mr. Horsnall received a letter Aug. 27 instructing him to report to the police station. The first thing he did was go for his physical and drug screening test, Mr. Rowland said.
Then, he was told on different days to sit in the police station’s conference room and familiarize himself with the standard operating guidelines, some of which he was responsible for writing a couple of years ago, Mr. Rowland said.
He then had to go for retraining on a firetruck, despite 18 years of being on firetrucks, he added.
Then, on Sept. 10, both the township’s lawyer and Mr. Rowland had a telephone conference with the judge to seek clarification regarding the reinstatement, and the judge explained Mr. Horsnall had to be fully reinstated into his former position with his former rate of pay. She gave them one week — which expired Monday — to fully integrate him into the same position he had held prior to his termination, Mr. Rowland said.
The purpose of today’s hearing is for the township’s motion for the judge to reconsider, but Mr. Rowland said he doesn’t believe there’s any merit to the motion.
”When you’re asking somebody to reconsider what they’ve said twice now, the likelihood on them prevailing on the motion is slim,” he said.
And says the township is stalling Mr. Horsnall’s full reinstatement.
"They knew what the ruling was,” he said. “He’s not gotten his back pay, and he’s still being told that they don’t have room for him. It’s pretty apparent to me that they didn’t make any preparation whatsoever for his return, and when we filed this suit in February, they had eight to nine months to think about what they would do if they had to bring him back. It’s pretty clear they never thought about it.”
Township Administrator Mary Caffrey, said Monday that this is not the case, but rather that Mr. Horsnall had to go through the normal pre-employment procedures that the township would do with any employee. He is required to go through the same paperwork and same requirements, including the routine physical and drug screening. And it’s typical for new employees to spend some time when they first begin their employment to go through these pre-employment steps, she added.
She said because Chief Kevin Brink was not on duty the morning Mr. Horsnall returned to work, and because Ms. Caffrey was on vacation, Mr. Horsnall was told to report to Police Chief Martin Masseroni.
He was required to go through all of the screenings and to be oriented with the new firetruck for insurance purposes, Ms. Caffrey said. He has been doing inspections with another fire captain, and he supervised a shift on Sunday night.
In the meantime, Ms. Caffrey said the township has filed the motion to reconsider the reinstatement. She said it’s not easy to just reinstate someone who had been a shift captain without affecting the shifts of other firefighters who already fill those positions.
”For us to put Mr. Horsnall in charge of a shift or in charge of supervising other firefighters, we have to have a shift for him to work,” she said, adding it can’t be done without affecting the entire schedule and the rest of the department. “We’re trying very hard to work through that in a manner that is amicable to all parties.”
The bottom line is we did not budget for this. We did not budget for someone who was not on the payroll, which I don’t think is unreasonable,” she said.
She said it has been frustrating for the township because the other firefighters are also entitled to have a little bit of notice if Mr. Horsnall has to cover one of their shifts.
The township also has to make room for him, and wants to avoid firing or demoting someone else, which could also put the township at risk for that person to file a grievance against it, Ms. Caffrey said.
At the same time, there are still negotiations going on with the labor contract with the fire union, and it would be unfortunate to have to pay someone who did not work for a period, especially given the township is appealing the case, she said.
But, “there are some very productive conversations occurring as this week is unfolding,” she said, including signs the township will reach some long-term agreement with the fire union.
”This is not the easiest nut to crack,” she said. “I don’t want to undo the good things we’ve achieved in the last six months.”
If the township is not successful in its motion to reconsider, the it would have to make interbudget transfers and possibly an emergency appropriation to cover Mr. Horsnall’s back pay and salary before the year is done. She said that appropriating money in this year’s budget for Mr. Horsnall will affect 2008, specifically with regard to the 4 percent cap on the tax levy.
”It’s not even clear to me or to the state what mechanisms will be available if we have to issue the back pay immediately,” she said. “If we have to do it, we’ll do it. It will have a detrimental effect. Something will have to go. It could be a capital project, it could be replacement of equipment.”
If the township does pay him and ultimately wins, it is also unclear what the process is to recover those costs, she said.
FORMER FIREFIGHTER HAS JOB REINSTATED
THE MESSENGER-PRESS - August 16, 2007 - WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (Mercer County) - A state Superior Court Judge in Trenton has ruled that the township must reinstate former Washington Township Fire District Capt. David Horsnall with back pay.
In addition, the judge gave the township no option to hold off doing so while it appeals the decision.
During a court hearing on Aug. 10, state Superior Court Judge Linda Feinberg on Aug. 10 ruled in favor of Mr. Horsnall, who claimed that the new township Division of Fire — which was what the Fire District became following the dissolution — would not hire him after the township dissolved the Fire District.
Following the dissolution, firefighters were required to interview for positions with the new Division of Fire. Mr. Horsnall, after working with the Fire District for 18 years, said he was not given a reason for his loss of employment.
Township officials said they plan to appeal the decision and in the meantime, appeal the judge's action to forbid them from holding off on Mr. Horsnall's reinstatement and back pay until after the appeal process.
Mr. Horsnall said he was looking forward to getting back on the job and serving township residents like he has done for the past 18 years.
"I'm very happy that the courts have decided in our favor, and that the courts based this case on factual law," he said.
John Rowland, Mr. Horsnall's attorney, said after the decision that he believed the judge came to the right conclusion.
"He came to work and was told he didn't have a job anymore," he said. "He never had any due process and he had to take this fight on by himself. He had to fight for his job back when he had essentially done nothing wrong."
Judge Feinberg heard oral arguments on the case back in June, but held off on a decision until further research into the case could be done.
Mr. Rowland said he believed the judge was well-schooled on the issue, as "nobody's ever dealt with tenured paid firefighters in the face of dissolution before," he said.
Mr. Rowland said even though there were no previous cases that actually dealt with a fire district dissolution, enough of them dealt with similar issues, where municipalities were either abolishing a department in its entirety or abolishing positions, and in all of those cases — which go back as far as 117 years — the tenure statutes protected the individuals.
"A municipality can abolish an entire department, as long as they put in something different in its place," he said.
The township had argued that Mr. Horsnall was never an employee of the township and that he couldn't have been improperly fired because he had never worked for the new entity. Further, they had argued, the township wasn't obligated to accept back every single person if they didn't perform well in the interviews.
But because the township abolished the district, but made no substantial changes to it, except to change its name to the Division of Fire, it doesn't mean that there were legitimate changes, Mr. Rowland said.
Therefore, "the person who had tenure before should be back in that position because they were removed illegally," Mr. Rowland added.
Mr. Rowland said the judge was expected to issue a written decision sometime this week, and that she will probably give the township a couple of weeks to make the arrangements to reinstate him.
Township Attorney Mark Roselli said Monday that he was initially disappointed with the judge's decision, but said the township followed the law when it dissolved the fire district.
"We did everything the law required us to do in addition to basically keeping with the mood the New Jersey Legislature has been, with respect to consolidating and consolidation of services," he said.
Instead, "the court wanted a result and backed into that result," he said, adding that he believed the judge was legislating from the bench.
"There's no case on point," Mr. Roselli added. "The court went to great lengths to justify a position (Judge Feinberg) wanted."
After the judge issues her written decision, Mr. Roselli said, the township will file an appeal, and in that application, ask that the township canbe able hold off reinstating and issuing back pay to Mr. Horsnall until it goes through that process.
Township Administrator Mary Caffrey on Monday echoed the sentiment, saying that she was struck by some of the comments the judge made regarding the issue of interpreting legislative intent. She said township officials believed the judge was relishing the opportunity to have her first crack at the issue.
And "it's not like you can rely on precedence," she said. "There is no precedence. This is it."
In addition, both she and Mr. Roselli expressed concern about implications the ruling could have not just on the township, but on other municipalities.
"It's a timely topic and important topic, and I'd rather the law be made at the legislative level, not at the judicial level," Mr. Roselli said. "It's going to impact many levels of government in the state. She said that this would probably be the precedent decision other people would use to make determinations."
An issue that remains outstanding regarding the lawsuit is whether the township is responsible for Mr. Horsnall's attorneys fees, but both sides are issuing briefs to the judge on the matter.
TOWNSHIP FIREFIGHTER HAS JOB REINSTATED
Trenton Times - August 11, 2007 - A Superior Court judge ruled yesterday that Washington Township was wrong when it told an 18-year veteran firefighter that he was out of a job and ordered the township to reinstate him.
David Horsnall, a captain with the Washington Township Fire District, was let go in late November as part of a fire department reorganization and name change.
"I'm very happy," said Horsnall. "The court did the right thing. I've been a fireman all my life since I was out of high school. That's all I know. It's been a shock, what happened to me."
Washington Township Mayor Dave Fried yesterday reacted with anger. "Judicial activism has to stop. We followed the rules that were in place. We did what we were supposed to do. Public safety in our town has never been better," he said.
Superior Court Judge Linda R. Feinberg's decision is the latest round in a nasty politics-fueled fight over fire and emergency services. Fried successfully pushed to dissolve the independent fire district in favor of township control, which he said would save money.
Last year the township dissolved the fire district and all the firefighters were required to interview for positions with the new Division of Fire. Horsnall, who had spoken out against the reorganization, was one of three firefighters whom the interview committee recommended against hiring.
On Nov. 29, he was told he would be paid through December but had to clean out his locker and immediately leave the firehouse. Horsnall has said he was never given a reason for the loss of his $70,000-a-year job.
John Rowland, Horsnall's lawyer, yesterday lauded the ruling.
"He's to be reinstated and get all his back pay," Rowland said. "Obviously, we're happy. We think it was the right decision, a decision grounded in both cases and statutes. At the end of the day she called it as she saw it.
"The fire department was not abolished as the township claimed," he said. "All they did was change the name and change the boss. That is not an abolishment in the statutes. What they had is the same fire department in the same place with the same job."
Fried, speaking out about the judge's decision, said, "This type of activism threatens public safety in two towns and I will do whatever it takes to protect our residents."
He said a current firefighter will likely have to be laid off to make room for Horsnall. The man with the least seniority is currently serving as the emergency medical service coordinator for Washington and Hightstown.
Washington firefighters are providing ambulance service to Hightstown as part of a contract signed earlier this year. Fried would not identify the firefighter who may be laid off, but said he is currently "doing a fantastic job."
In her ruling yesterday, Feinberg ordered that Horsnall be reinstated to his job 14 days after she issues a written opinion due sometime next week. She denied a request by township lawyer Mark Roselli to stay Horsnall's reinstatement until after an appeal.
"I disagree with it," Roselli said of Feinberg's ruling. "It's a situation where the judge has legislated from the bench."
Roselli said the state Legislature has mandated that municipalities consolidate and this ruling, which strikes a blow to that concept, could have a far-reaching effect.
"Her role is to interpret the law, not make the law," Roselli added. "We can go all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary."
While Rowland expected an appeal by the township, he said, "I'm disappointed. It would be better for the taxpayers not to foot the bill for an appeal. I'm not interested in making case law, I'm interested in getting the guy back on the job."
Feinberg did not rule on a request to require the township to pay Horsnall's attorney fees, but instead gave the lawyers a week to submit briefs on the matter.
The township's reorganization changed the hiring practices in the department. Under the fire district, firefighters were hired based on a series of tests that ranked their abilities. But after the township gained approval to take over the district, the hiring process was changed to interviews only.
Fried and township Administrator Mary Caffrey both said in November they had no predeterminations about who -- or how many -- firefighters would return.
If all had done well in the interviews, Caffrey said it's likely that all would have stayed. Unfortunately, she said at the time, troubling problems surfaced during the reviews of three employees, including Horsnall. She declined to elaborate, citing personnel issues.
While the move to cut the positions was described by many as layoffs, Fried at the time insisted otherwise.
"We didn't lay anyone off. We decided not to rehire people," Fried said. "The fact is, I had to make offers for people to do a job, and I did it as fairly as possible. The decisions were solely based off the interviews, and there were some issues that really concerned us to the point that we felt it wasn't a good idea to bring them back."
Of the two other firefighters not rehired at the time as Horsnall, one -- Ed Hirshman -- has since been rehired by the township. The other, Jeff Kutner, has not and it was unclear yesterday if he plans a similar lawsuit to reclaim his position.
FIREFIGHTER UNION FILES COMPLAINT
Washington Twp. mayor considers accusations frivolous and political
Trenton Times - April 27, 2007 - It's no secret that animosity has lingered since the township took over the once-independent fire district, and while both the administration and firefighters hoped the transition would be seamless, it appears some problems still need smoothing over.
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 3786 filed a complaint earlier this week against the township with the Pub lic Employment Relations Commis sion, citing numerous problems with the administration's bargaining process, changes in procedure and policies and the firing of two employees.
Township officials, however, said while there are always "bumps in the road" when moving forward, the complaint is absurd and a political tactic, as Election Day is less than two weeks away. According to Mayor David Fried, the township has yet to receive a copy of the complaint, a concerning sign considering the allegations the union is listing, he said.
"It seems like these frivolous accusations come out every few months, but this is purely political. This is a union that loves to be political and see its name in the newspaper," Fried said. "Normally, PERC complaints are served to the township, not to the newspapers."
The complaint, filed by IAFF Vice President Keith Kemery, asks for the commission to appoint an arbitrator to oversee contract and schedule negotiations, and for the township to cease "its attempts to coerce and restrain" the employees' rights.
Countering the political motive, Kemery said that Fried -- not the firefighters -- is the one concerned with getting his name in the media.
"For this complaint to be political is interesting, because all Fried had to do was live up to his word, and we would have settled these is sues long before now," Kemery said. "Last time I checked, over the last four months, all you see is Fried in the newspaper talking about how everything is roses."
In the complaint, Kemery additionally asks for the two dismissed employees to be re-instated and compensated for their lost wages.
When the township interviewed the 23 full-time employees shortly after the Local Finance Board approved dissolution in November 2006, one senior captain and a firefighter were not hired back to the department. Because the dismissals were based on personnel issues, administrators couldn't comment on reasons for the firings, other than saying the interviews presented serious concerns about the employees.
Capt. David Horsnall, an 18-year veteran and the most senior member of the force, was one of two employees to get the ax -- a move Kemery said is an obvious threat to the remaining 21 members.
"When you take a captain in the fire department, who is the most senior member, you're communicating to everyone else that no matter what your seniority, the administration will make you go away if they don't like you," Kemery said.
Arguing against re-hiring the two employees, Fried said that one of the dismissed members entered the building after termination and harassed the part-time, non-union members.
"He came in and called them scabs, and yet, I'm expected to want that type of person back?" Fried said. The term "scab" is often used to describe a non-union individual who is employed in place of a union member.
Kemery said if the administration had made the time to meet with the union to negotiate contracts, the recent complaint would have never been necessary.
"They can cry foul by politics all they want, but nothing will ex plain the five months of inaction."
Five months ago, the firefighters' union presented a 60-plus-page proposal for the new contracts, Kemery said. Fried ar gues that last month, the administration returned a counter proposal -- a file that Kemery calls a "two-page summary without any offers."
The takeover didn't officially occur until Jan. 1, 2007, which is when the two employees were officially dismissed. Fried said the administration couldn't counter negotiations until January, and their response in March was not an inappropriate delay.
TOWNSHIP SAYS FIRE DEPARTMENT RUNNING SMOOTHLY
The Messenger-Press - April 5, 2007 - It's been three months since the township took the Fire District under its control in January, and so far, Mayor Dave Fried said he "couldn't be more pleased."
"I'm very pleased with the way things are going," said Mayor Fried. "We've made some tremendous savings. Last year we used cash to buy a firetruck. We now have enough cash from the surplus to buy the ambulance."
Since the township took over the Fire Department, the township has been able to use the savings to enhance the department, including purchasing a new firetruck and a new ambulance. The district was also able to purchase new turnout gear, improve their training room and is also planning to pave their parking lot.
According to a municipal budget presentation offered by the mayor at the council meeting on March 22, the township is already seeing evidence of savings from dissolving the fire district. The old fire district's first quarter expenditures in 2006 totaled $747,243. Last year's fire commissioners predicted a 3-cent increase in the 2007 district budget, estimating a first quarter spending budget of $822,243. According to Mayor Fried, the township's budget proposal calls for a 3-cent decrease for all the services offered by the fire and police departments. Under the direction of the township, the expenditures totaled $593,152 for the first quarter in 2007. The amount saved just in the first quarter is $154,091 and if the trend continues, Mayor Fried suggested the annual savings would be approximately $616,364.
Mayor Fried said the township has done many things to ensure savings, including changing the shift schedule to switch every three days instead of four, which reduces the number of full-time staff from 25 to 20. While not everyone at the firehouse is pleased about the shift schedule, township Business Administrator Mary Caffrey said she's not concerned about it.
"Things are going about as well as can be expected," she said. "There's still some unhappiness in the ranks regarding the changes, but we're working through that. The reaction seems to be getting more positive. The firefighters are very well-trained and we're helping them get clear on what they can and cannot do as employees."
Fire Chief Kevin Brink added that he thinks the change has been positive and looks forward to continuing to work with the township to create savings and better services from the Fire Department. Because the Fire Department falls under control of the township, it means that when the department needs a service such as plowing or maintenance, they can go through the township administration without having to go out to bid for an independent service. Using the public works and locksmiths from the township administration has been one of the key factors in the increased savings to the township since the dissolution.
"We have routine building maintenance now and have the public works guys at our disposal," Chief Brink said. "As a result, we're carrying fewer people and taking steps to reduce overtime. All the things we buy can go under the township capital. I think the change so far has shown that we still provide vital public safety services and balance that with the needs of the taxpayers."
In addition to the township being able to provide services to the Fire Department, Chief Brink said he has been able to provide services for the township. The firehouse has a large size meeting room, which the township can use for conferences and training. The police and EMS squad also may use the Fire Department meeting room for training and conferences, something that Police Chief Martin Masseroni said is a very positive aspect of the change.
Chief Brink is working closely with Chief Masseroni, who has been at the forefront of helping the fire chief transition into his modified authoritative role. Before, fire volunteers and employees could go over the chief's head directly to fire commissioners or even the township administrators. Now, Chief Masseroni said that the Fire Department staff is learning that Chief Brink is the "ultimate."
"I'm very pleased with the transition," he said. "We've made some leaps and bounds with this one and so far, I haven't seen any negative side."
One of the biggest areas with which Mayor Fried said he is pleased is with the relationship that he has seen develop between the Police Department and the Fire Department.
"That is probably the place I am most pleased with," he said. "The relationship that has now developed between the Police Department and Fire Department is outstanding. The way they work together shows that this new era is making some sense and the teams are really working together to put their best foot forward. It's a real credit to both the chiefs and the new captains to have been able to put this together and at the same time that they're going through this transition, they did an amazing job of picking up Hightstown in this new shared service arrangement."
With only three months under their belts, Ms. Caffrey said more long-term goals still have to be implemented. So far, the transition stage has gone well and she said she is looking forward to the future.
"We still need to get a contract settled with the firefighters, but the union has given us their response," she said.
The old contract expired on Dec. 31, coinciding with the dissolution.
Ms. Caffrey added, "They made an offer and we made a rather extensive response, but it's still in the negotiation process. We just have to get through this transition phase and get into long-term plans address safety and training, but so far I'm very pleased with the way it's going."
