JACKSON — The Township Council has set the mayor’s salary at $29,500 for 2015 and Mayor Michael Reina will accept the salary for the first time since taking office, according to township officials.
In Jackson, the salary range for the mayor is between $8,000 and $54,000. The council establishes the actual salary each year. There is no set number of hours that the individual who holds the mayor’s position must work at the job in a given week.
In his professional career, Reina works as the assistant superintendent of bridges for the Ocean County Road Department. The position carries a $79,500 salary.
From 2010-14, Reina worked for the state Department of Transportation. His position as a confidential assistant carried a salary of $78,000. Gov. Chris Christie asked that individuals who held public office and worked for the state not accept the salary for their elected position, and Reina complied with that request while he was employed by the DOT.
In other business at the Feb. 10 meeting, the council recognized the efforts of two youth sports teams and the philanthropic efforts of the Jackson Police Department in last year’s Toys 4 Tots campaign.
The 2014 Jackson Memorial High School football team and the Jackson Youth Football and Cheerleading (JYFC) Division 13 squad received proclamations from the mayor’s office in recognition of their respective championship wins.
“I love talking about the young men and women who represent Jackson in New Jersey and around the country,” Councilman Rob Nixon said. “They are not just champions in the field, but they are champions in life in what they do through their dedication to everything.”
The JYFC squad was saluted for winning the American Youth Cheer Division 13 Large Blue national championship. The squad was named the Division 13 grand champion.
In the proclamation, township officials noted the squad’s successful year, with wins at the Jersey Shore Division 13 Large Blue Championships and the Big East Region Division 13 Large Blue Championships.
Council Vice President Scott Martin, whose daughter, Ashley, is a member of the squad, said the win was a particularly impressive feat.
“It is worth noting this was the first time this team actually qualified for nationals … so to appear in nationals and beat out seven other teams is just a tremendous accomplishment,” Martin said.
Officials commended the efforts of the Jackson Memorial High School football team for winning the 2014 Central Jersey Group IV state sectional championship.
Officials listed the team’s other accomplishments, which included scoring the most points in a season, earning the most road wins and setting a school record for the most rushing touchdowns by a single player.