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.

The Herald subsequently learned that on the same day that the Stone Harbor council tabled the resolution to appoint Liston, he was being confirmed as Trenton’s new director of housing and economic development.

The Trenton City Council voted appointed him by a unanimous vote despite an outstanding tort claim against the city and Liston alleging that he made antisemitic remarks. At the meeting where he was confirmed as the housing director, the public was told that an investigation into the allegations in the tort claim found the complaint “unsubstantiated.” Liston has denied the allegations.

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.

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.

The dismissal 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.