BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer
JACKSON – The three men who are seeking to become Jackson’s first directly elected mayor say they will spend the time to do the job right whether their position is classified as full time or part time.
When the new mayor-council government comes into existence on July 1, the council members will decide on a salary for the mayor.
All three mayoral candidates said they will be available to do the job if elected.
Three men are seeking the position of mayor – Sean Giblin, Michael Kafton and Mark Seda. All three men are presently serving on the Township Committee. Jackson’s first nonpartisan municipal election is set for May 9.
When asked if the mayor’s position will be a part-time or full-time job, each candidate expressed his thoughts on the subject. The question asked of Seda, Kafton and Giblin was: “Are you under the impression that when the change in government was voted on by residents, some residents believed they were voting for a form of government that was going to have a full-time mayor?
According to municipal clerk Ann Marie Eden, the exact wording on the change of government ballot question voters approved in November was, “Shall the Mayor-Council Plan of Government of the Optional Municipal Charter Law, providing for five council members to be elected at large, with staggered terms, at nonpartisan elections held in May, with plurality rule, with the mayor elected directly by the voters, be adopted by Jackson Township?”
The candidates were asked to respond to the fact that since the council will have the option of making the mayor’s position full time, “Are you prepared to quit your job to serve?” and “How can you run for a position that could be a full-time position not knowing what the salary is and whether it is commensurate with what you expect?”
Giblin said the ballot question actually said the charter study and interpretive statement recommended a part-time, directly elected mayor.
“I’m 99 percent sure that’s what the ballot said,” said Giblin. “I currently serve as the mayor and I work 24/7 and look out for the best interests of the town all the time. If a problem arises in the evening they know how to reach me. During the day they [also] know how to reach me.”
Giblin said he basically listens to the concerns of the residents all the time.
“In the new form of government I would be no different,” he said. “I would listen to the people 24/7. To put an amount of hours involved, the council has no authority to do that. The council’s sole authority is to set a salary. They have no authority to dictate whether you’re full time or part time. They can only dictate your salary.”
Giblin said he is prepared to work as he does now for the best interests of the town, but at the same time not demand a full-time salary.
“I have no intention of giving up my full-time job,” he said. “If the public were under the impression that it’s a 40-hour work week, I currently work many times more than 40 hours a week on township business.”
Kafton said, “To me the question on the ballot, it is true, will be determined by the council [as to] whether the mayor is full time or part time probably based upon the salary that the council offers.”
He said it does not make a difference one way or the other.
“The people of this town, when they voted for a directly elected mayor, they were looking for someone who would dedicate the time to concentrate on the issues that will affect them,” the candidate said. “I’ve always done that. I will always do that.”
Kafton said the Township Committee position he currently holds is a part-time post that pays $8,000 per year.
“But to me, it’s not about the money,” he said. “It’s always been a full-time position for me. For me, I do it every day, virtually all day long and I even spend many of my evenings out within the town. Whether the council chooses the mayor to be part time or full time doesn’t matter. I’m always going to give as much
time as it takes to make this town the best place it can be.”
The candidate said salary is not an issue.
“It’s my love of the town and it’s always been that way,” he said. “It shows in my work. I believe in what I do and the difference between me and my opponents is for them to do the job right they need to basically quit their job and get paid $50,000, $60,000 or $70,000 because they both work out of town.”
Kafton said one of his opponents works in North Jersey and the other works in New York City.
“I work in Jackson,” he said. “I’m here every single day and I’m available every day and I spend mostly all my days out in the community. So it doesn’t matter what the council chooses, part time or full time. I’m going to quote what Mark Seda said a couple of months ago at a town meeting; ‘No one gives the hours a week like Mike Kafton to this job.’ I will continue to do that.”
Seda said he thinks there is a misconception surrounding the mayor’s position.
“The charter that was chosen was a directly elected mayor,” he said. “There’s no mandate that says you have to be full time or part time. Just like the president, you don’t say, ‘We want you to be in the office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., or 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.’ It doesn’t really work that way.”
Seda said it is the same for Township Committee members.
“In the charter it doesn’t state what you have to do or what time you have to work until,” he said. “You have to work at this job as long as it takes to get things done. There is no real determination that you have to be full time or part time. Are you effective or ineffective?”
The candidate said if a person can be effective in 10 hours, 20 hours, 30 hours or 40 hours, then that’s the job.
“If it takes 80 hours in a week to be effective, then the job requires you [to work] 80 hours,” he said. “That’s the job, because there is no real 9 to 5 job or 8 to 4 time for a mayor. There is no distinct 8 to 4 or 9 to 5 because if you get a call at 9 or 10 p.m., I respond to the call. If there’s an accident or an emergency that requires your time, as a committeeman right now, I would be out at 8 p.m.”
Seda said when an environmental issue arose in the community, he was out at 8 p.m. trying to figure out what happened.
“I met with residents that night,” he said. “There is nothing that says we have to do that. I was doing that because there was a problem that needed to be addressed and I wanted to know firsthand what that problem was and how to address it.”
As far as the mayor’s salary is concerned, Seda said, “They’re going to be commensurate to what the surrounding towns are. I’m assuming they will take the surrounding towns based on population and what salaries they’re paying. I’m assuming it won’t exceed that. Anybody can say [they] want a $200,000 salary, that’s nonsense.”
Seda said the mayor will have four years to work with the council to accomplish his agenda.
“The downside is if you get a horrible mayor, with a horrible agenda, then you’re stuck,” he said. “They would have four years to destroy the town.”
In the Township Committee form of government, although there is an election each year, it is most responsive to the people only because there is an election every year, Seda said.
“For argument’s sake, if during one year [one political party] had control and taxes went up, you can, come November, whoever was up on [that] ticket would be voted out of office. In doing so you could flip the majority and control. Is it the best form? It’s most responsive to the people immediately, but it makes it difficult to do long-range planning,” Seda explained. “You’re always worried about an election. You’re always in campaign mode.
“In the mayor-council form the upside is you can put the agenda forth and you have four years to accomplish what you’re looking for,” he said. “The downside is a mayor who has a hostile council and nothing gets done. What ends up happening is that things get worked out between mayor and council and the only one who pays the price is the people.”
Seda said no specific form of government is perfect and any form can work.
“It’s the people who are elected to office who will make that government what it is,” he said. “The concerns facing Jackson are severe, school tax, overdevelopment and the whole tax structure. Four years will give you the opportunity to work those things through and hold us accountable for our actions.”