West Orange Renews Contract With Town Attorney After Heated Debate

WEST ORANGE, NJ — EDITOR'S NOTE: Read our update to this article here.

The West Orange Town Council renewed a contract with town attorney Richard Trenk after a close vote and heated debate earlier this week.

Trenk has served as town attorney since 1998. Mayor Susan McCartney recently appointed him for a four-year term that will expire on Dec. 31, 2026.

The contract sets a salary of $42,500 per year, which includes payment for general legal matters, but not for litigation, arbitrated or mediated matters, which will be billed separately and by the hour at the rate provided in the township’s attorney billing guidelines.

On Tuesday, the town council voted on a resolution that authorizes the contract, which can be seen below.

The resolution to approve the contract got “yes” votes from Michelle Casalino and Tammy Williams. It got “no” votes from Bill Rutherford and Susan Scarpa. Asmeret Ghebremicael abstained from the vote. McCartney broke the 2-2 tie with a “yes” vote.

Watch the discussion and vote on the contract renewal below.

The council approved the hourly rate for litigation counsel later in a separate resolution at an hourly rate of $175, splitting the vote along earlier lines.

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