BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer
ROOSEVELT – The borough still has no administrator.
Former Borough Administrator Robert Clark resigned from his position on March 24, and the borough has not yet succeeded in finding a replacement.
At the April 17 Borough Council meeting, Councilwoman Pat Moser said she and Mayor Beth Battel had already interviewed one candidate, who wanted more money than the borough could afford to pay for the part-time position.
The borough is currently offering a yearly salary of around $15,000 for the position.
Moser reviewed ordinance 199 with the council, as the ordinance provides the job description for borough administrator.
She suggested that the council should eliminate purchasing-agent duties from the job description because, she said, 15 hours per week will not allow enough time for an administrator to also act as the borough’s purchasing agent.
Councilman Michael Hamilton said the council should also set up applicant procedures, which should include a cutoff date after which the borough would not accept any more applications.
“It’s a major position for the borough,” Hamilton said. “We need a process by which to hire someone.”
Councilman Robert Silverstein said the borough should hire an administrator before Borough Clerk Krystyna Olejnik takes a planned three-week vacation in August.
Moser said Olejnik needs help in the clerk’s office. She suggested hiring a part-time clerk/receptionist and said she would advertise for the position in the Borough Bulletin, the local newsletter.
Hamilton, Moser and Silverstein volunteered to form a committee to review applicants for the borough administrator position.
Councilman Daniel Hoffman said the committee could rank candidates and then present its findings to the Borough Council, which would make the final hiring decision.