FARMINGDALE — Nearly half a dozen Farmingdale officials and employees, including three Borough Council members, have resigned in recent weeks. Two of the council members cited ongoing conflicts with Mayor John P. Morgan as the reason for their resignation.
According to Borough Attorney John O. Bennett, councilmen Anthony J. Infante and William E. Donovan, Councilwoman Kathleen Farrington, municipal Clerk Donna Phelps and Code Enforcement Officer Stephen Roe all tendered their resignations.
According to borough officials, Richard Gessken was appointed by the council to fill the vacancy left by Farrington, a Democrat who resigned effective July 17.
Bennett said the board took the action to fill the vacancy at a special meeting that was held on July 31.
At the same meeting, Infante and Donovan, both Republicans, submitted their resignations, Bennett said.
The chairman of the municipal Republican Party, who Bennett identified as Morgan, has 15 days to name potential replacements. Upon receiving the names from the chairman, the council has an additional 15 days to take formal action.
Phelps tendered her resignation effective July 31, while Roe resigned several weeks ago, rescinded it and then re-filed it, according to Bennett.
Roe declined to comment on his resignation.
Phelps could not be reached at press time.
In an email to Greater Media Newspapers, Farrington said she resigned from the council for personal reasons.
“My resignation was a personal and individual decision based on the concern that with many other priorities in my life right now, I would not have the time to carry out my council duties to the extent desired,” she wrote.
The other council members who resigned cited ongoing difficulties with Morgan as the reason for their departure.
“It was becoming a chore to make council meetings and what I felt was good for the town … was evidently not the way the mayor felt at times,” Infante said. “I just didn’t feel right about remaining there.
“[Morgan] felt that he was the mayor and what he felt was the way we should all feel and that’s not the way government goes,” he added.
Donovan was more blunt with his criticism of Morgan.
“I just can’t work with the mayor anymore,” he said. “He’s a worse bully than [Gov.] Chris Christie ever thought of being.”
Donovan said communication between Morgan and the council had deteriorated and council meetings became more about acrimony than municipal governance.
“It got to a point where people would come to the council meeting with trepidation, they just knew something was going to happen,” he said.
“The civility toward the council members and employees from the mayor, especially with people who don’t agree with him, just got to a point where I couldn’t put up with it anymore,” he said. “It wasn’t just all of a sudden. This has been a simmering cauldron of problems that have gone on between council members and the mayor.”
Donovan asserted that Morgan had a personal vendetta against Phelps.
“He badgered and harassed and maligned the clerk until she finally said she couldn’t take it anymore,” he said.
Morgan confirmed the resignations, but suggested there was nothing extraordinary about the situation.
“This happens all the time in municipal government,” the mayor said. “It’s hard to even get anyone to run for a council seat anymore. A lot of people like to sit back and complain. A lot of people don’t like to step up to the plate. If it doesn’t go their way, they just decide it’s not for them.”
Morgan could not be reached for followup comment after Infante and Donovan spoke with a reporter.
According to the borough’s website, Infante and Donovan were appointed in 2008 to fill unexpired terms on the council.
Infante was elected to a three-year term in November 2009. Donovan was elected to a full term in 2011. Farrington was also elected to a full term in 2011.
Morgan was initially appointed to the council in 1991 and was re-elected in 1995 and 1998 before losing a bid for re-election in 2001. He was elected to council again in 2002 and was elected mayor the following year. He was re-elected to a four-year term as mayor in 2007 and 2011.
Following the resignation of Phelps, deputy clerk Kim Farrington is currently performing the duties of the municipal clerk.