John Kennedy to leave borough after eight years
By:Mark Moffa
HIGHTSTOWN – Borough Administrator John Kennedy will leave his position at the end of this year, according to Leona Baylor, assistant to Borough Clerk Candace Gallagher. Mr. Kennedy’s last day will be Dec. 31.
An advertisement for the administrator’s position appeared in the Nov. 9 issue of The Hightstown Gazette.
Mr. Kennedy, whose salary last year was $75,491 for serving as the administrator and chief financial officer, is the highest paid employee in the borough. He has been with the borough for about eight years.
Jamesburg Borough, which has about the same population as Hightstown, pays its administrator and finance officer $58,359.
Allentown, at about half the population of Hightstown, does not have an administrator. Washington Township, with about twice as many people as Hightstown, paid its administrator $99,000 until he resigned this year.
Mayor Amy Aughenbaugh and Borough Council members were unavailable to comment on the move – they were at the New Jersey State League of Municipalities convention this week.
Mr. Kennedy was also unavailable for comment.
He has not been in attendance at the last two Borough Council meetings, and, according to borough officials, has been on sick leave for at least two weeks.
The advertisement for Mr. Kennedy’s position said the borough would "consider a shared interlocal municipal administrator position."
According to the ad, the job includes "management of $4.3 million budget, labor negotiations, contract administration, purchasing, long-range planning, personal management, community relations and professional development."
The borough is looking for a candidate with five years of experience in municipal government, grant writing experience, computer skills, and a degree in business, public administration, or a related field.
The ad states that the borough would prefer a candidate with prior economic redevelopment experience, knowledge of the Edmunds MCS software system, fluency in Spanish, and a master’s degree in public administration.
The advertised salary range is $50,000 to $90,000.?