City Council Appoints Neil Young as Chief Financial Officer

CAPE MAY – City council passed a resolution approving the appointment of Neil Young to the position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Municipal Treasurer on August 20. Young takes over the position from outgoing CFO James Penn.
“Neil possesses the required certifications from the State of New Jersey Department of Community Affairs,” said City Manager Bruce MacLeod. “He has working experience both in the private sector, with the accounting firm of Ford, Scott and Associates, and more recently has worked in the borough of Wildwood Crest in their finance department and also as their chief financial officer before our selection for his appointment here with the city of Cape May.”
“The reviews were also very positive from everyone you’ve worked for, with, and on behalf of,” said Mayor Edward J. Mahaney, Jr. “You’re highly regarded by the state of New Jersey, especially for your performance on the certified admissible finance officer’s test, where you understood the intricacies and the detail work and had an outstanding score.”
The city began interviewing candidates several months ago in anticipation of Penn’s retirement. Young has served as chief financial officer for the borough of Wildwood Crest since August 2011.
During the public portion of the meeting, city resident Bernie Haas questioned Councilwoman Deanna Fiocca’s attendance record.
“With all due respect to Deanna Fiocca, I don’t see her here very often,” said Haas. “Is there a limit on the number of meetings that a person can miss as a councilperson before there’s a problem or is that just not an issue?”
Mahaney mentioned that statutes do exist regarding consecutive absences. Prior to undergoing heart surgery thirteen years ago, Mahaney said he made certain he was in compliance before missing eight weeks of work. He then turned Haas’ question over to City Solicitor Tony Monzo.
“There is a municipal vacancy law which provides that if you miss a certain number of consecutive meetings over a period of time it’s considered a vacancy,” said Monzo. “Ms. Fiocca has notified the council at times when she cannot make meetings, but she is not to the point where she has violated the provisions of the municipal vacancy law.”
Elected to a four-year term that began on July 1, 2010, Fiocca has become increasingly absent from scheduled council meetings and work sessions. According to the posted minutes on the city’s website, Fiocca attended all council meetings in 2010. In 2011, Fiocca missed seven meetings, four of which occurred consecutively or within weeks of each other (May 17, 2011; June 8, 2011; June 21, 2011; and July 5, 2011). In 2012, Fiocca was again absent seven times, while so far this year, she has been absent five times. Three absences occurred on April 26, 2013; May 7, 2013; and May 21, 2013.
Fiocca’s attendance could not be confirmed for portions of June, July, and August as the minutes are not yet available. She was not present at the meeting on August 20.