METUCHEN — Jay Muldoon, who resigned from his role on the Borough Council on Aug. 18, will serve as interim business administrator effective Sept. 1.
With the sudden resignation of Business Administrator Jennifer Maier on Aug. 9, Mayor Peter Cammarano said it became apparent that the borough needed someone to step into the role as interim business administrator.
The mayor said during the council meeting on August 21 that he had been serving in the role along with the assistance of all the department heads, the support of Council President Ronald Grayzel and working alongside Borough Clerk Susan Jackson.
“We have been able to continue to keep the borough functioning and moving forward as it has every day,” Cammarano said. “I think that is a tribute to many of the employees here. Also, I would like to thank our clerk for putting up with me during this time because it hasn’t been fun.”
With the urgent need for an interim business administrator, Cammarano said he had asked Muldoon to consider the position, which he has accepted.
“I needed someone to step in and hit the ground running, someone who is familiar with the town, issues and personnel so we can have continuity as we move forward and search for a permanent administrator,” he said.
Cammarano said it was after a lot of careful consideration, he asked Muldoon to consider serving as interim business administrator.
“Jay is someone who has a lot of private sector and not-for-profit management experience and someone who has served very well on the council,” he said.
Cammarano said when he first asked Muldoon if he would run for a council seat or accept an appointment to a vacancy, Muldoon thought he was crazy.
“I think he thought I was crazy when I asked him to do this for us too,” he said. “Fortunately for us, he agreed.”
Cammarano said Muldoon played a lot of roles in the borough when he first came on the council in 2010.
“[Muldoon] was an instrumental help to us getting the [municipal] pool back on track after a few rough years,” he said. “[Muldoon] played a major role in the planning and implementation of the Metuchen Downtown Alliance and he has worked a lot with Woodmont [Properties] as his role as liaison to the Parking Authority.”
The council approved Cammarano’s recommendation for interim business administrator at the meeting on Aug. 21.
Going forward, Cammarano said the same procedures will be followed in finding a permanent business administrator.
“We will collect resumes, we will have a committee to review and narrow them down to select for interviews,” he said. “It is my hope we will have a permanent administrator by Jan. 1 [2018].”
In the meantime, Cammarano said he feels comfortable that the borough will be in very capable hands.
Established by ordinance in 1970, the business administrator is the chief administrative officer serving an indefinite term. The administrator is responsible for the preparation of the budget, personnel administration and policy implementation.
A variety of additional duties are prescribed in the ordinance which are designed to relieve the council of many of the daily routine administrative matters
Maier had been appointed business administrator in January 2015 after longtime William Boerth retired.