BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP: Committee votes 4-1 to fire Woolley-Dillon

Community Development director to ask Superior Court for reinstatement

By Amber Cox
   BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP — The director of Community Development was fired from her township job Monday night.
   A tearful Barbara Woolley-Dillon, who also served as the township planner, was visibly upset after the Township Committee voted 4-1 to terminate her, effective immediately.
   ”It’s not fair,” she said after the meeting, adding she was unaware the vote was coming up.
   Committeeman Jason Medina was the only member to vote against the resolution.
   Ms. Woolley-Dillon has a suit against the township seeking $25,000, plus attorney’s costs, for unpaid work she said she performed as administrative assistant to the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Adjustment and Environmental Commission.
   She was hired in November 2009 at an annual salary of $70,666 for a 28-hour week.
   According to the termination resolution, Ms. Woolley-Dillon’s performance was reviewed and determined to be “unacceptable and has delayed the routine functions of the township’s land use boards as well as the recovery of charges to developers and where the delay in those recoveries has impaired the township’s ability to recover the cost of her salary.”
   The resolution also alleges Ms. Woolley-Dillon has “engaged in the improper use of township resources, including the unauthorized use of the township’s computer system, in order to perform work associated with her private planning consulting business while being paid a salary for the township.”
   ”I was totally taken aback and surprised by this resolution. I had no idea that this resolution was even on the agenda for tonight, “ said Mr. Medina, the only Democrat on the committee.
   ”Immediately prior to this meeting commencing tonight, members of the committee as well as I were presented with a resolution calling for the termination of Barbara Woolley-Dillon, who is our director of Community Development as well as our zoning and planning board representative,” Mr. Medina said.
   Mr. Medina said he reviewed the resolution and hasn’t been presented with any evidence to support “any of the allegations, serious allegations, in this resolution.”
   He said he has requested Ms. Woolley-Dillon have an opportunity to respond to the allegations, and he was denied.
   ”To me, without any evidence or proof to substantiate any of these allegations, I consider this strictly retaliatory in nature and void of any merit whatsoever,” Mr. Medina said.
   Mr. Medina requested that the committee go into closed session to discuss the resolution before voting on it. The committee then went into a closed session for about 20 minutes.
   Before the vote, a number of people from the public spoke on Ms. Woolley-Dillon’s behalf.
   Former Deputy Mayor Jim Cann said he found the resolution very disturbing.
   ”Ms. Woolley-Dillon was one of the hardest workers we had, continually working more hours than she was required,” he said. “I don’t know what the charges are, I haven’t seen them because I haven’t seen the resolution, but in my opinion, you’re letting go, or attempting to let go, a very valuable employee to this township.”
   Chairman of the Environmental Commission and member of the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment Roger Plew also spoke on Ms. Woolley-Dillon’s behalf, saying he has found her to be “extremely knowledgeable in her business and very particular to detail.”
   ”I think she is something that the township needs in that position, and I hope you really consider that when making your personal choice,” he said.
   Ms. Woolley-Dillon’s attorney, Thomas Barron, of Barron and Posternock, said, from what he sees, there is an Open Public Meeting Act violation.
   ”She was never afforded an opportunity under the RICE case to speak about her employment status,” he said. “To terminate an employee without a due process hearing violates the law, and there will be litigation that will deal with that issue.”
   Tuesday morning, Mr. Barron’s associate was in the process of preparing a motion for an order to show cause before the Superior Court to repeal the termination resolution. He also said he feels the decision already was made about Ms. Woolley-Dillon’s employment before the committee voted on it.
   Deputy Mayor Karl Feltes said he voted for the motion with somewhat of a heavy heart because he would have been unable to do his jobs on the zoning board and Environmental Commission if it weren’t for Ms. Woolley-Dillon.
   ”With that said, I have to say the reason I voted for it, the information that was given to me in the resolution, I just couldn’t vote any other way,” he said.
   Mayor Michael Dauber said he voted for the motion because of the area stating Ms. Woolley-Dillon “engaged in improper use of township resources.”
   Committeeman Bruce Hill and Committeewoman Anita DiMattia did not comment on their vote.