WILDWOOD – City clerk Lisa Brown will serve as city business administrator for 30 days while the search is underway for a permanent replacement for Steve O’Connor.
The Board of Commissioners made the temporary appointment at its Wednesday, Jan. 10, meeting. O’Connor’s contract expired on Dec. 31, and he was not offered a new one.
Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. said he would have been comfortable naming Brown to the administrator position permanently, but she declined, having less than a year under her belt as clerk.
Brown, who has worked in the clerk’s office for more than two decades, was appointed city clerk effective May 1, 2023, with the retirement of former clerk Christopher Wood. Brown said she is happy to serve as the administrator for the specified time.
“I’m here until the board finds a replacement,” she said. “I told the board I’d be happy to help until they put someone in place.”
Brown said the City of Wildwood does not have a designated deputy administrator to assume the role in the absence of the administrator. In Lower Township, for example, the municipal clerk is designated as the deputy manager to fill in when the township manager is absent.
“The clerk has never been provided administrative duties (in Wildwood),” Brown said.
She added that she has observed a lot about how the administrator functions in the city and that most of what she will be doing will be considered routine in nature. She said she feels she will be comfortable in the position for the time being.
Troiano said when contacted by telephone that the city will put out a request for proposals to see who is interested in the position.
“We will put out an RFP and go from there,” he said. “I would like to do that, as we do with other positions, and see what comes to the door.”
Troiano said there were names that came to mind, which he did not mention, to fill the administrator office. He said there might be individuals now who would be interested in having the job, but he would like to see who applies and what they bring to the table, find out their availability, and go from there.
The mayor said there was consideration of having Brown fill the post as a clerk/administrator, a position that towns such as Cape May Point and West Wildwood have. He said Brown said she would rather not fill another position while being in the clerk’s role for less than a year. Troiano said he respected that decision but has faith she could do the job.
Also on Jan. 10, the commissioners met in closed session, where they discussed hiring professionals. The board appointed DeBlasio and Associates as its engineering firm and Steve Morris of the Morris Law Firm as solicitor. Contracts for the two are expected to be approved at the next commissioners meeting.
Contact the author, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
