Spring Lake Heights Delays Hiring New Crossing Guard

The borough council is holding off on hiring a substitute crossing guard to see if anyone else in town besides the applicant on a short candidate list might want it.

Councilman Richard Diver, who motioned Monday night for the resolution that would have hired Hugh Meehan for the hourly position with the Spring Lake Heights Police Department, also wants to find out if other prospective candidates were allowed to apply for the job.

It has nothing to do with the fact that Meehan is one of the Democratic council candidates in this fall's election according to Diver and Councilwoman Patty Cindea, both members of the governing body's GOP majority.

Nor does it have to do with Meehan's position as commissioner of the Spring Lake Heights Independent Fire District, which the council's GOP majority voted to dissolve in May. The dismantling process is now under review with the state Department of Community Affairs (DCA) in Trenton.

"We need more information," Diver said before the vote to table the resolution. "I'll consult with the police department. I think there is a process in this town and we should follow it."

Referring to statements made during the meeting's public portion by former councilwoman Kathleen Crippen, Democratic Councilman John P. Brennan, Jr. defended Meehan's candidacy.

"There has been a charge that [Meehan] is some political hack," Brennan said.

"This is not a political issue, this is a process issue," Diver responded.

"There is a process," Cindea said. "It's not fair to the public not to follow the process."

Crippen had asked if the council had advertised the crossing guard position in keeping with hiring protocol for public jobs. She also had questioned whether or not he had undergone the proper background required for positions working with children.

In short, Crippen accused the governing body, particularly its three Democratic members--Brennan, Mayor Frances Enright, and Councilman Tom Vorbach of shutting out other candidates in favor of a fellow party member.

"I think there are some retired people in town who would like to know when these positions become open," said Crippen, a former member of the local Democratic party.

After breaking ties with the Democrats in last fall's election, Crippen ran unsuccessfully as an independent to recapture her council seat.

The substitute crossing guard position pays $13.35 per hour and would employed on an as-needed basis during the regular school year according to Acting Borough Clerk Janine Gillis.

The council agreed to hire Joseph Masterson as a temporary, part-time payroll officer with limited duties in the borough finance office.

Masterson will process the borough's payroll until a new chief financial officer (CFO) is hired according to Cindea.

Enright had recently tried to lure Colleen Lapp, the borough's former CFO back on a part-time basis to process payroll in the interim. However, Enright announced during the meeting that Lapp, now working as the CFO for the Borough of Red Bank, could not accept the job.