To the editor:
I regret to inform you that Mr. Jonathan DeJoseph, Hillsdale’s Borough Administrator, Chief Municipal Financial Officer, and Qualified Purchasing Agent, has announced his resignation effective Oct. 25.
Mr. DeJoseph has served in that position since early 2016. He has been instrumental in efforts that have improved the delivery of services to the residents, such as snow and leaf removal, and road paving. He also played a major role in designing municipal budgets that minimized tax increases. I am sorry to see him depart and wish him success in his future endeavors.
I plan to hire immediately an external municipal management consultant who will temporarily assume Mr. DeJoseph’s duties. It is my hope that this can be done swiftly so that there is sufficient overlap and knowledge transfer before Mr. DeJoseph departs.
Once that is accomplished, I plan to hire, with the Council’s consent, an executive search firm to look for separate candidates to fill each of the roles Mr. DeJoseph held. This will comply with Resolution 19240, adopted by the Borough Council on Oct. 1 by a 5–1 majority. That resolution required that the roles of Borough Administrator and CMFO be held by two separate individuals, and removed Mr. DeJoseph from his Borough Administrator role at the end of the year.
I also believe that using an independent search firm to identify eligible candidates will help protect the process from political interference and partisan interests, and result in a quicker replacement.
It is inevitable that the level of service that Hillsdale residents and employees have come to expect will be affected in some way during this transition and until Mr. DeJoseph’s two permanent replacements can come up to speed on the issues currently facing the Borough.
I know I can expect your patience as we work through this difficult time.