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Resident urges Rockaway council to investigate alleged disclosure of confidential personnel records
Summary
Resident April Royal alleged on the record that a council member publicly disclosed confidential personnel information about a former township employee to influence an election; she called for a formal investigation, referral to state and federal authorities and a public reaffirmation of personnel confidentiality protections.
During the public-comment portion of the June 9 meeting, April Royal of Hawthorne Court accused a council member of deliberately disclosing confidential personnel information at a May 28 meeting in a neighboring borough. Royal said that the former employee — who was then a candidate in the neighboring borough’s primary — lost the election and that the disclosure was intended to influence the outcome.
Royal told the council that intentional public disclosure of personnel information violates employees’ legal protections and can expose the township to civil liability; she asked the council to (1) open a formal investigation, (2) refer the matter to appropriate state and federal authorities for independent review and (3) publicly reaffirm that council members will not weaponize personnel records for political purposes.
Council did not take any immediate investigatory action on the floor during the meeting; the item remained a public request recorded in the meeting minutes. Royal framed the request as a matter of employee privacy and township liability and urged immediate action by the governing body.
What happens next: April Royal requested formal action; the council did not vote on a referral or investigation during this session, so any follow-up would require a future agenda item or an administrative referral.
