Thomas Neff Appointed Moorestown Township Manager

MOORESTOWN, NJ — A man with more than 25 years of experience in New Jersey State government was unanimously appointed to the position of Moorestown Township Manager Monday night. Thomas H. Neff assumes the role from Thomas Merchel, who resigned as township manager in February but is remaining with the township as the Chief Financial Officer.

He was appointed with a 4-0 vote by council members. Councilwoman Lisa Petriello abstained.

Neff played roles in developing state oversight for Atlantic City and Newark, as well as the implementation of the Camden County Police Department and helped towns recover following Hurricane Sandy in 2012, according to his resume.

As chairman of the 8-member New Jersey Local Finance Board from 2010-14, he increased the transparency of financial disclosures made by local government officers, and helped implement state supervision of Atlantic City and Newark, among other actions.

He then served as Newark’s State Fiscal Monitor from April of last year until January of this year. He oversaw the city’s management and financial operations, and helped develop their budget. Oversight of the city was relaxed in October of last year, and its credit rating was stabilized as of January 2018.

As Director of the New Jersey Division of Local Government Services from 2010-14, he redesigned a $125 million program that aided 10-20 municipalities, and reduced the number of towns that needed state assistance from 80 to 10.

He worked with Camden’s mayor to bring major reform to the city’s finances, including the institution of the Camden County Police Department, replacing the former city police department. He also helped stabilize towns hit hard by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and increased transparency and oversight of local government budgets, including the implementation of the “Best Practices Checklist.”

He comes to a township in Moorestown that recently had its AAA bond rating reaffirmed by Moody’s and cut taxes in its most recent budget.

On Monday night, council members praised Merchel, who resigned as township manager in February so he could focus solely on his position as Chief Financial Officer. He was appointed township manager in January 2017 after Scott Carew resigned.

Merchel helped navigate the township through multiple issues, including the upgrade and improvement of three water treatment plants and the settlement of the township’s affordable housing obligations. On Monday night, Mayor Stacey Jordan announced that the township’s affordable housing plan has been approved.

Part of Neff’s duties as manager will be to help implement that plan across the township. Neff takes over as manager effective Sept. 4, and will make $140,000 a year.

Neff graduated from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1997, and was admitted to the Bar in 1998, but his career in state politics predates that.

He served with the New Jersey State Senate Majority from 1992-97, serving as an aide to the Budget and Appropriations Committee, the Environmental Committee, the Legislative Oversight Committee and the Coastal Resources and Tourism Committee, according to his resume.

He served as Gov. Christine Todd Whitman’s Chief Counsel from 1997-2000, and served as Budget Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor for Governor/Senate President Donald T. DiFrancesco in 2000-02.

From 2002-03 when he was an associate with the law firm of McManimon and Scotland. While there, he worked on projects on behalf of the state, as well as Hudson County and Asbury Park.

From 2004-08, he was the policy director and deputy counsel for the New Jersey Assembly Minority. He developed a plan to “significantly reduce state spending,” initiate legal action against the state to stop borrowing for operating expenses and terminate “slush funds,” and led investigations into public spending programs.

From 2008-10, he was the deputy director for the New Jersey Senate Minority. He led a team of 20 people representing 16 state senators to develop proposals to reduce spending and reform government finance.

In 2010, he served as special counsel to the governor and state treasurer. He was the also state’s deputy treasurer from 2010-14.

NOTE: A previous story erroneously reported that the vote was 5-0, but Councilwoman Lisa Petriello abstained on the vote. Patch apologizes for the error.

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