ALLENTOWN – Several months after voting to create the new position of borough administrator, members of the Borough Council have appointed Laurie A. Roth, the current municipal clerk, to a two-year term as Allentown’s administrator.
Roth’s initial term as borough administrator will run from March 15, 2021 through March 14, 2023, according to a resolution that was passed by the council during a meeting on March 16.
Asked for a comment by the Examiner, Mayor Thomas Fritts said, “Laurie Roth has done a great deal in her employment with the borough to change the culture in Borough Hall.
“Residents and members of the business community appreciate her communicativeness, transparency, attention to detail and emphasis on customer service. Promoting her to borough administrator was a no-brainer. She has the full support of the governing body in this new role,” the mayor said.
Roth said she will remain as Allentown’s municipal clerk and her job title will be Borough Administrator/Municipal Clerk.
She told the Examiner she will “complete all duties (of both positions) regardless of their time commitment. I am on call 24/7 for any emergencies that may occur within the borough’s borders.”
Regarding the new position, Roth said, “The creation of the borough administrator position shows a shift in the daily operation of Allentown from reactive to proactive.
“By having a centralized administrative position responsible for the day-to-day business of operating the municipality, the governing body will have the opportunity to focus on policy-making and legislation.
“With the governing body’s aggressive agenda and the increasing requirements placed on the borough by the state, the time has come for Allentown to streamline municipal operations.
“I am proud to serve the community in this new role and will work hard to find more efficient ways to bring services to our community while better managing our resources,” Roth said.
Roth has worked for Allentown since November 2015 in roles that include acting municipal clerk/registrar; municipal clerk/registrar; public information officer; and now borough administrator/municipal clerk.
She also serves as Allentown’s assessment search officer, Community Development Block Grant representative, Central Jersey Health Insurance Fund commissioner, designated employee representative, human resource officer, Monmouth County Municipal Joint Insurance Fund commissioner, indigent burial coordinator, public agent compliance officer, public information officer, registrar, individual responsible for federal Department of Transportation grants, safety coordinator, Sustainable New Jersey agent and liaison to the municipal court.
Roth holds a master’s degree in administrative science from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State University.
Prior to working in Allentown, she worked for eight years as the assistant to the administrator and mayor/human resource manager in Eatontown.
Fritts previously told the Examiner he is not certain if Allentown has ever had an administrator, but he said there has not been one since 1972 when the current municipal code was adopted.