By Sunayana Prabhu
RED BANK – The borough council unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing a separation agreement with Clifford Keen, director of public utilities, at its meeting Jan. 11. The council did not discuss the reason for the separation agreement or details of Keen’s replacement.
In an email response to questions from The Two River Times, interim borough administrator and Police Chief Darren McConnell said he couldn’t provide any details about Keen’s separation from the borough or any reasons for it “as it is a personnel matter.”
The council unanimously approved a “non-fair and open contract” for a public services consultant at the meeting. Details of the contract terms and name of the contractor were not discussed. Non-fair and open contracts require vendors to submit disclosure statements, rather than go through a more formal bidding process.
However, McConnell did name the person brought on by borough council to serve as a consultant and temporarily oversee the department of public works for 90 days as Gary A. Watson Sr. Watson was a previous director of the department, according to McConnell. “He retired from the position seven or eight years ago and that is when Mr. Keen came on board.”
At the meeting the council also discussed expenses associated with the special nonpartisan elections May 9 for borough residents and whether early voting for those elections is a viable option.
If the governing body chooses to go ahead with early voting, “we may be the only ones doing it,” said Laura Reinertsen, borough clerk. Generally, the county contributes to the costs of early voting for municipalities but since Red Bank is the only municipality potentially holding early voting in May, “the cost is borne pretty much entirely by the borough,” Reinertsen said, “in the ballpark around $65,000.”
She explained how the costs for primary elections are split among the other municipalities, “so you’re not going to see such high numbers.” But since this is a special municipal election, the borough will have to foot the entire bill, including for county employees who work during borough elections. Board of Elections workers are paid at a rate of $26 an hour with the supervisor paid around $30 an hour.
Residents voted in November to change the borough’s form of government from mayor-council to council-manager. Dan Antonelli, the borough attorney, suggested the council draw up a resolution with details of costs that will be incurred to have early voting. Reinertsen said the ex- act cost of the election will be available prior to the next council meeting.
The article originally appeared in the January 26 – February 1, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
