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Council fails to advance recommended officer hire, approves retroactive code-enforcement appointment
Summary
A motion to hire recommended candidate Kenneth Fye for a full-time police officer role failed for lack of a second; council approved a retroactive appointment of Mark Zigler as code enforcement officer despite one councilor's objection.
Union City Borough Council on July 9 declined to advance the Civil Service Commission’s recommendation to hire Kenneth Fye as a full-time police officer after a motion to hire failed for lack of a second. The commission had provided a certified list with one candidate meeting testing and background checks and recommended Fye to council.
Police Chief David Pernice told council he recommended hiring Fye, noting the candidate passed civil service testing and background checks and the chief had positive comments about him. Councilor Steadman moved to hire Fye, but no councilor seconded the motion and it died; councilors did not provide a reason at the meeting. Chief Pernice asked later why the motion failed so he could inform the applicant; council said the matter will be revisited at a future meeting.
Separately, the Personnel Committee recommended Mark Zigler for the position of code enforcement officer after an interview. Council moved and approved a retroactive appointment for Zigler; Councilor Uber voted in opposition, citing a preference that officers reside in the borough. According to the record, Zigler is available to begin training July 12 and to start work on July 29, 2024.
The council did not specify additional conditions or a timeline for revisiting the police hiring decision.
