South Orange Selects New Village Administrator

South Orange has their man. 

Barry R. Lewis, Jr. is expected to become the new Village Administrator on Monday evening.  Village President Alex Torpey announced the decision on Friday afternoon following a search that produced over 50 applicants.

"I'm delighted that Mr. Lewis will be joining South Orange as our Village Administrator," Trustee Nancy Gould told Patch.  "We received over 50 resumes for the position and interviewed numerous candidates.  Although many were qualified and were good candidates for the position, Mr. Lewis stood out due to his exceptional management skills and his expertise in fiscal matters."

John Gross, the previous Village Administrator, , leaving to become the .  A search committee comprised of Village President Alex Torpey, Village Council Steven Rother, Village Clerk Robin Kline and Trustees Deborah Davis Ford, Howard Levison and Gould were given the task of finding a new Village Administrator.  The committee was assisted by Government Management Advisors, LLC, , Reagan Burkholder.

"I'm quite pleased that we were able to select an administrator with the  experience, expertise and excellent communication skills that will more than meet the needs and expectations of South Orange," Davis Ford told Patch.  "We were fortunate to have the problem of having to choose from a group of several qualified candidates."

Lewis is the former Borough Manager of Mountain Lakes, a small town in Morris County.  During his tenure there from September 2009 – October 2011, the town became the most affluent town in New Jersey, with a median income of $181,938 per family.

“Although there were many strong candidates who applied for this position, and we thank all of them for applying, Barry and his experience and references made a real impact on all of us,” Torpey said in a statement.  “We are all extremely excited to begin working with him.”

If confirmed by the Board of Trustees at Monday’s meeting, Lewis will immediately begin the transition to the new job.  According to Torpey, Burkholder will stay on for 2-3 additional weeks to help with the transition.  In addition, he may stay on longer to continue working on a salary study.

Gross will also be assisting in the transition as stated in the .  In addition to being the part-time CFO for South Orange, Gross is signed to a consulting contract requiring him to work up to 10 hours a week until March.

In addition to Mountain Lakes, Lewis has also served as manager for Spring Lake, NJ and Mine Hill, NJ.  Lewis will be paid competitively at an annual salary of $147,500.

Stay tuned to Patch for more on this story.