STONE HARBOR – The Borough Council has had three straight closed sessions on “matters related to the employment relationship.”
The three consecutive closed sessions, not the norm in the borough, were on March 19, March 5 and Feb. 20.
Following the March 19 meeting, a motion passed “authorizing certain actions to be taken as discussed in closed session on a personnel matter.”
After the closed sessions on March 5 and Feb. 20, the council reconvened in public session just long enough to pass a motion instructing the borough’s special labor counsel “to proceed as discussed in closed session.” There has been no public notification of the nature of the employment issue or the instructions to the labor counsel, not in itself unusual since it is a personnel matter.
Employment issues are an area where the council is allowed by the Open Public Meetings Act to meet out of the public eye until a matter is resolved.
What makes the string of closed session meetings of interest is that the borough has some high-profile litigation underway involving past township employees.
In February 2023 the council took the step of calling a public special session at which the governing body voted to fire the borough administrator, Robert Smith. The action led to a Superior Court suit by Smith against the borough. In an earlier tort claim, Smith sought $1.2 million from the borough.
One year later, there has been no resolution that has come before the council to resolve that litigation.
Another employment relationship concerned the then-borough clerk, Kim Stevenson. Stevenson went on medical leave and subsequently resigned, citing harassment and a hostile work environment.
Stevens filed a tort claim against the borough for $800,000. No public discussion on resolving this claim has taken place at council meetings.
