The director of Princeton’s municipal information technology department will keep his employment with the municipality but in a non-supervisory role, after an investigation concluded he violated municipal policy related to the disposal of computer equipment, the municipal administrator said.
Robert McQueen will remain on unpaid leave until Nov. 28 and then resume his employment as a systems analyst, Administrator Marc D. Dashield said. He said McQueen’s annual salary will be about $82,000, which is a reduction from the $112,000 he had been paid as the director of IT. McQueen has worked for Princeton since 1998.
“I have initiated the proper discipline toward Mr. McQueen at this point,” Dashield said. “He’s been an employee here for a long time and he will continue to be an employee with the municipality.”
McQueen and a now former employee in the IT department, Anthony Guevarez, were put on paid leave in July as municipal officials and then the Princeton Police Department investigated claims that equipment was disposed of improperly.
Less than a month later, Guevarez resigned from his job effective Aug. 13.
Since this is a personnel matter, municipal officials said they cannot divulge what exact violations McQueen committed.
Police did not bring criminal charges in the case and municipal officials later moved McQueen to unpaid leave as of Sept. 28.
Dashield said some of the computer equipment has been recovered, but he could not quantify the amount. He said Guevarez, who sold municipal equipment, has agreed to make financial restitution of about $5,000. No payments have been made as of yet, he said.
Going forward, Dashield said there would be a restructuring of the IT department, possibly to include staffing changes.
“We will be reviewing the department to ensure we have the appropriate manpower there,” he said. “We’re reviewing that now and we will put a program in place to provide the right level of service we need.”
Mayor Liz Lempert said on Nov. 13 that she had no comment and directed questions to Dashield.