Aiming to ensure that Princeton municipal government operates in a more efficient and cost-effective manner, Princeton officials have announced the creation of two new positions: deputy administrator for Infrastructure and Operations, and deputy administrator for Health and Community Services.
The two new positions will function as part of a leadership team that will work with Municipal Administrator Bernard Hvozdovic.
The reorganization grew out of lengthy discussions that began in the Princeton Council’s Personnel Committee with former Municipal Administrator Marc Dashield and continued under Hvozdovic.
Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton has been named deputy administrator for Infrastructure and Operations, and Health Officer Jeffrey Grosser has been named deputy administrator for Health and Community Services.
“This restructuring will ensure that the municipality functions in a more efficient and cost-effective manner, as well as being even more responsive to community needs and priorities,” Hvozdovic said.
The two deputy administrators will report to Hvozdovic, who will oversee the police department; the municipal court; the municipal clerk’s office; and the departments of emergency services, finance and information services. He will also oversee the Community Development Department, which includes planning and historic preservation.
In her new role, Stockton will oversee the Department of Public Works and the Department of Engineering, as well as the municipal arborist and the open space manager.
She has worked for Princeton for more than 15 years – as the assistant engineer and design engineer, and most recently as the municipal engineer.
The combined Infrastructure and Operations Department brings together engineering, public works, municipal parking, the municipal fleet, sewer operations and open space in order to better maintain and improve Princeton’s public assets, Stockton said.
Grosser currently serves as the director of health, overseeing the Health Department and the Bureau of Rental Inspections.
He previously worked for the Burlington County Health Department, beginning as an environmental health specialist.
In his new role as deputy administrator for Health and Community Services, Grosser will be responsible for the recently combined departments of Health and Human Services, and the Recreation Department.
“I have devoted most of my educational and professional career to improving community health. The new structure of the Department of Health and Community Services intends to coordinate new processes for advancing the shared goals of making Princeton a healthier place to be,” Grosser said.
Hvozdovic praised Stockton and Grosser. Their promotions serve to recognize their many years of outstanding leadership and dedicated service to the Princeton community, he said.