Council, Mayor Disagree on Administrator's Title

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The Washington Township Council unanimously voted in favor of promoting the town's acting administrator to be business administrator during their meeting this week.

The council appointed Catherine Navarro-Steinel the township's new acting administrator in January, about three weeks after the term of former acting administrator ended. Since then, Navarro-Steinel has done "a heck of a job" according to Council Vice President Joseph D'Urso.

"Over the last few months [with Navarro-Steinel] here, this town is on the verge of straightening out," D'Urso said.

Mayor Janet Sobkowicz said she was not recommending Navarro-Steinel for the position, though she had recommended her for the acting administrator position.

According to the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, "the mayor, with the advice and consent of the council, appoints and removes department heads, including a business administrator" in the type of municipal government used in Washington Township.

In this case, councilmen said they were voting to withdraw a condition they had set when Navarro-Steinel was approved as the administrator, which was the reason she was only the acting administrator instead of the full business administrator. By removing the condition, Navarro-Steinel is the township's business administrator until the end of 2013, according to the councilmen.

Township attorney Kenneth Poller said he would have to review whether or not the title change was an "effective action."

The vote came after a discussion about Sobkowicz's decision to "freeze" the township budget. At the previous council meeting, Sobkowicz announced she would for all purchases. She later told Patch she was concerned that spending was running high and hoped to rebuild the township's budget surplus. So far this year, about $27,000 of the $33,000 engineering budget has already been spent, according to Sobkowicz.

Councilman Fred Goetz questioned if the extra review was needed.

"Is it really necessary to put a layer of bureaucracy on top of your competent employees," Goetz asked.

Councilmen referred to several cases in which they said Sobkowicz's budget freeze was hindering municipal employees. In one recent incident, Sobkowicz ordered a new copy machine for the clerk's office be sent back even though the council had included it in the annual budget.

Navarro-Steinel said the machine did not fit comfortable in the clerk's office, so she and township clerk Mary Ann Ozment agreed to switch it with another copier in the building.

"In my years of experience, when I present something to the entire elected body and you budget based upon my recommendation, it's safe to assume that is the one you're authorizing me to order," Navarro-Steinel said.

Once the new copier is sent back, the township will replace it with a lower-quality model, according to Navarro-Steinel.

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