Brick Board Suspends Superintendent Without Pay

The Brick Township Board of Education voted unanimously at an emergency meeting Wednesday night on a resolution to suspend Superintendent Walter J. Uszenski without pay.

It was a move that was expected after Uszenski was indicted Tuesday by an Ocean County grand jury on charges of official misconduct and theft in connection with what prosecutors say was a scheme to provide his grandson with educational services to which the boy was not entitled, at taxpayers’ expense.

While the move was expected, however, controversy erupted over the participation by telephone teleconferencing by Dr. Vito Gagliardi Sr., the board member appointed in July to fill the seat vacated when John Talty resigned in April due to health issues.

When residents questioned how the teleconferencing occurred and whether it was a legal way for Gagliardi to participate, Business Administrator James Edwards said he had researched the topic through the Open Public Meetings Act and found there was legal precedent in a Pinelands Commission hearing to allow it.

Interim Superintendent Richard Caldes said he spoke with Executive County Superintendent Todd C. Flora to confirm with him whether the teleconferencing was permissible, and said Flora told him it was allowable under the law.

But Vic Fanelli -- who has criticized the participation of Gagliardi since he was appointed by Flora to the seat after the board could not reach an agreement on an appointee to fill Talty’s seat through the end of December -- railed at the board over the decision to allow the teleconferencing as another example of the board being run by the county superintendent instead of the people chosen by voters.

“The guy who was picked by the county superintendent and the guy who picked him said it was OK so you accepted it,” Fanelli said, brushed off Edwards’ reply that he had researched the law to make sure there was legal precedent.

He additionally criticized Edwards and the board for not offering the option to Karyn Cusanelli, who was unable to attend the meeting.

“Mrs. Cusanelli did not tell me she was not coming,” Edwards said in response to Fanelli’s question of whether the teleconferencing option was offered to her. “I did not know until I got here that she was not coming. So no, I did not call her.”