STONE HARBOR – The Borough Council has tabled a resolution to appoint Arch Liston as a part-time interim administrator for a six-month period in the wake of the firing of Manny Parada.

There was no information provided to residents as to why the council voted to table the hiring resolution in the public package prepared for the council’s Jan. 7 reorganization meeting.

Parada was fired as administrator and director of public works at the council’s last meeting of 2024, a meeting that also was the last for Mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour. There was no explanation given for the firing.

Liston has served in administrative positions in several municipalities, including Hamilton Township (Atlantic County), Trenton and Atlantic City. During his career he has overlapped periods where he worked with Stone Harbor’s new chief financial officer, Cynthia Lindsay.

He has been sought out for his administrative abilities, but his tenures have not always been without controversy. In October 2024 Liston, serving as Trenton’s director of housing and economic development, was named in a tort claim filed against the city over alleged antisemitic remarks.

In the claim, a Trenton employee alleges that Liston has a “patterned history of misconduct and inappropriate behavior.” The employee argues that the city ignored complaints “without specific action being taken.” Liston has denied the charges. The tort claim’s allegations have not yet been resolved.

The firing of Parada had been rumored for weeks, but when it happened on Dec. 17 the two resolutions accomplishing the action were not part of the publicly available package of agenda items for the meeting.

Parada became the second administrator to be removed since 2020. His predecessor, Robert Smith, was fired at a special meeting in February 2023. Smith is litigating his removal.

Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.