PETERSBURG – The Upper Township Committee had a temporary administrator on Monday, Feb. 10, as Joe Verruni of Jersey Professional Management sat in for Gary DeMarzo, who was removed from the position on Jan. 27.
Verruni told the committee his firm was hired to do management recruitment, provide experienced temporary managers and recruit department heads, among other things. Verruni will act as the township manager while actively recruiting a permanent replacement.
“We have a large data base of over 500 managers in New Jersey,” he said. During the week, he said, he was doing individual interviews with the members of the governing body to learn their desires for the next administrator.
The township signed a one-year contract with Jersey Professional Management on Jan. 27. The resolution authorizing the contract indicated that the company had not made any political contributions to candidates or to a committee for candidates for Upper Township Committee.
The contract also has a not-to-exceed amount of $20,000. In the event billing exceeds that amount, the governing body would have to authorize another appropriation or advise the company to stop work immediately.
Verruni said he would distribute questionnaires to applicants and schedule interviews. He said he planned to have the interviews between March 17 and April 4. He said the successful applicant would then have to give notice to his or her current employer.
The committee did not give any reason for replacing DeMarzo as administrator at its Jan. 27 meeting and is not required to do so. DeMarzo was a contract employee, for which he received about 30% of his salary. The remainder of his $120,000 salary was paid under his personnel director position.
At the Jan. 27 meeting, the committee authorized its labor counsel to formulate a layoff plan for the personnel officer position, which would be submitted to the state Civil Service Commission for approval.
DeMarzo read a lengthy statement into the record at that meeting, saying there was no reason for him to be removed other than to replace him with a political appointee.
Still in the personnel position, DeMarzo attended the Feb. 10 meeting but did not speak.
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
