Township Council Names Lilly Chin Administrator Through 2011 at Budget Meeting

In an unexpected move Friday, members of the Washington Township council named Acting Administrator Lilly Chin to the position for the remainder 2011. The 3-2 vote came during the council budget meeting.

Although the motion passed twice, because Council President Fred Goetz asked the council to reconsider, the majority of members aren't happy with the outcome.

"This is for the good of the town. It’s still not what I believe," said Councilman Joseph D'Urso, who made the motion to appoint Chin through the end of the year. "I want to work with this town and this mayor and this administration."

Councilman Richard Hrbek said that although he argued for a different administrator, he believed at this point he had to vote in favor of naming Chin because not having someone in that position "was a tremendous disservice to the town."

The contract for Chin was set to expire Monday. Mayor Janet Sobkowicz has told council members for months that she wanted to keep Chin on permanently, but they said they wanted someone more qualified in the position.

After the initial vote Friday, where Councilman Glenn Beckmeyer joined D'Urso and Hrbek to name Chin to the position through 2011, Goetz said he was "extremely disappointed" and made a motion for the council to reconsider the decision.

"We are putting somebody in there that is not qualified for the position," Goetz said. "There have been 60 applicants that have been qualified for the position. Every one has been turned down."

The dialogue got heated between Goetz and Sobkowicz. Goetz accused the mayor of withholding information, which she denied, and Sobkowicz said Goetz has been "nothing but nasty to me."

When council members voted again, it was the same outcome. Goetz and Vice President Steve Cascio voted to rescind the previous decision while the other three voted to keep it.

D'Urso said he hoped the compromise with the mayor would encourage more timely receipt of information from the administration to all members of the council. Sobkowicz said she would "as long as they ask for it in a respectful manner."

The council also voted 3-2 to reduce the purchasing agent salary from $20,000 to $100, which Sobkowicz said was "unfair."

Hrbek, who voted against the reduction along with Beckmeyer, said he thought the council was making a mistake. "I think we're spiraling out of control," he said. "I want to make everyone here aware that we need to step back, put our emotions at bay and make sure we look at what we need to run the town."

Hrbek called the back and forth between Goetz and Sobkowicz "counterproductive" and Goetz abruptly called for the meeting to adjourn.

The next council meeting is scheduled for Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the municipal complex, 350 Hudson Ave.

Clarification: An earlier version of this story said Chin was named to the position permanently through 2011. Her contract has been extended through 2011.