Boro DPW director's raise is questioned
Curley: $10K hike too much in year of property reval
BY LAYLI WHYTE
Staff Writer

A lively discussion arose at this week's meeting of the Red Bank Borough Council as Councilman John P. Curley opposed an ordinance that fixed salaries for certain borough employees.

Curley said that his opposition was the result of a $10,000 raise being granted to Gary Watson, who is employed by the borough as assistant administrator, acting public utilities director, certified recycling professional and parking utility operations manager.

Due to some undisclosed issues regarding the operation of the borough Parks and Recreation Department, Watson recently took on the added responsibility to oversee Parks and Recreation Director Bob Evans.

"An administrator is an administrator," said Curley, "and he has a responsibility in every department. I'd like Bob Evans to take full responsibility for his office."

The $10,000 raise, in addition to the 3.5 percent raise that Watson received as a result of the ordinance that was introduced Monday, would bring his salary to $80,190 from $67,816.

"I do not feel that this being a year of a re-evaluation that we should give anybody a raise of $10,000," said Curley. "You don't see this happen in the private sector."

Councilman Michael DuPont, chairman of the Finance Committee, disagreed with Curley and said that the borough realizes savings by Watson carry so many titles .

"I know John has ranted about this issue in the past," DuPont said, "regarding [borough administrator] Stanley Sickels' salary, as well as Gary's. I asked Stanley to advise me about how much we were saving by having Gary manage parking as well as heading public works."

Sickels said that when Watson was hired, he was serving as the acting public works director, and that he passed those duties on to Watson, who is a retired deputy police chief for the borough.

"He has done a tremendous job reorganizing the department," said Sickels.

Watson took over as parking utility operations manager late last year after Neil Burnip left the post following the filing of sexual harassment charges against him by a borough employee.

Sickels said that while Burnip was still employed by the borough, he was in charge of the parking utility employees, while Watson, as acting public utilities director, was in charge of the up-keep of the borough's public parking lots.

It makes more sense, he said, to have one person in charge of the entire parking utility operation.

Sickels also said that Burnip had been receiving $81,000 in salary plus health benefits.

"With Gary taking over," he said, "we were able to cut that cost to $10,000 for a parking director. When you factor in the benefits we were paying Burnip, what we're saving is $99,000. We can't expect Gary to do the job without an increase in salary."

Curley said that he believes the Red Bank Police Department, which had two new probationary police officers sworn in at Monday's meeting, should take over the responsibility for the parking utility.

As a retired borough employee, Watson receives a pension, which covers his health-care benefits; his current borough positions do not come with health-care benefits.

Councilman Robert J. Bifani said that he believes Watson is entitled to a raise.

"It's not fair to put [new responsibilities] on him," Bifani said, "and not compensate him for it."

Curley said that he voted to hire Watson four years ago because he was told he would assist Sickels in his duties as borough administrator.

"When he was made acting director of public works," said Curley, "he was not licensed to perform that duty. We sent Gary to Rutgers to get certified. The borough paid for that."

Councilwoman Mary-Grace Cangemi, who was sworn in to office at Monday's meeting, said that she didn't have a problem with Watson receiving compensation, but that she thought $10,000 was a bit high, especially on top of the 3.5 percent raise already given to him.

Curley said that he believed the raise for Watson was a "slap in the face of taxpayers."

"To give someone a $10,000 raise when some of our residents don't know how they are going to pay their taxes or if they can even afford to stay in town," said Curley, "is just not right."