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Collingswood swears in police promotions and approves staffing slate; mayor defends replacement of long-serving solicitor
Summary
The borough swore in a new deputy police chief and police captain, approved a broad slate of municipal appointments by consent, and saw heated discussion after a commissioner said longtime solicitor Joe Nardney was being replaced following an opinion on a conflict matter; the mayor and other commissioners defended the RFP-driven selection process.
Collingswood commissioners swore in promotions, approved a broad set of municipal appointments and reappointments, and voted by consent on multiple professional service contracts at their reorganizational meeting; a contested replacement of the borough solicitor drew prolonged debate.
Mayor Shana administered oaths to John Klein and Eric Rose following motions to appoint John Klein to the rank of deputy police chief and Eric Rose to police captain. "Do solemnly swear...that I will faithfully and justly perform all the duties as deputy police chief," was recited during the oath.
By consent the commission approved a package of appointments and reappointments that included tax collector, zoning officer, recycling coordinator, water superintendent, public works superintendent, electrical inspector, part-time building inspector, fire code official, municipal court judge and staff, special law enforcement officers, library assistant and various coordinators. Professional service contracts authorized by consent included Phoenix Advisors LLC (financial advisor), bond counsel, municipal auditor, municipal engineer, public defender, municipal prosecutor and special counsel for conflict matters.
The meeting also included an extended exchange over the decision not to reappoint longtime borough solicitor Joe Nardney. One commissioner said Nardney was not reappointed because he had issued an opinion on Dec. 1 finding a conflict of interest; the commissioner said a judge later agreed with that opinion. "I had believed all the appointments... Nardney is being let go because he gave an opinion December 1st that the borough had a conflict of interest," the commissioner said.
Mayor Shana responded by thanking Nardney for his long service since 1999 and defended the borough's decision to open the positions to an RFP. She said the administration had reviewed multiple applicants and sought continuity for the next two decades, noting certain outside firms represent many municipalities and have bond-counsel and federal-counsel experience.
Commissioners agreed to move some professional services by consent but one commissioner said the process lacked transparency and said they would vote no on some reappointments; the group committed to holding open public work sessions so the public can see supporting documents and the information staff rely on when making appointments.
Several reappointments and hires were recorded; specific vote tallies were not provided in the transcript for every item. The meeting set the second reading and public comment for Ordinance 1826 (budget appropriation limits) for Feb. 2.
