OCEANPORT — The borough’s pursuit of its next business administrator may soon be in the hands of an ad-hoc committee.
Councilman Stuart Briskey suggested the formation of a committee focused on finding a suitable replacement for Business Administrator John O. Bennett III, who is retiring at the end of the year.
“What I would like to do is propose that we create an ad-hoc committee for the search for a new business administrator,” Briskey said during the Nov. 5 Borough Council meeting.
He suggested the committee include Councilwoman Ellyn Kahle, Councilman John Paddi, Councilwoman-elect Patricia Cooper, Mayor-elect John Coffey and himself.
In October, Bennett announced his retirement effective Dec. 31, due for the most part to a growing divide between the council and administration, as well as criticism of the administrator on social media by borough residents.
Paddi said while Bennett is leaving at the end of the year, there should not be pressure to hire his replacement in haste.
“I don’t think we should say we need to get a person by the end of the year,” he said. “I think we should get the best person, if it goes to January, February, so be it.”
He said one of the items to be discussed is whether the borough should hire Jersey Professional Management, a consultant and recruiting firm.
“What I would like to do is put it in the hands of the committee,” Briskey said.
If hired, the cost to the borough would be $12,500 for a placement, which Councilman Joseph Irace was concerned about.
“I’m kind of hesitant using any type of search firms for things like this. You are paying them $12,500, which is 10 percent of what our business administrator was making, and they are going to come up with somebody that they’ve hired and looked at,” he said.
“I’d rather it come up from us, somebody who knows us or knows Oceanport. The decision should come from council.”
Some of the work of the committee would likely include meeting with the consulting firm and evaluating interim candidates.
Briskey also said the committee would create a job description, which would be uploaded to the borough’s website and the New Jersey League of Municipalities website.