ENGLEWOOD, N.J.—A former borough administrator of nearby Tenafly officially takes over as Englewood’s interim city manager May 13 and former manager Ed Hynes—suspended April 16 unanimously by City Council—remains suspended awaiting final council action on his employment.
According to the City Charter, Hynes receives full salary while suspended, a sore point among several residents who have long been critical of Hynes.
No information on Hynes’ status was made public at the May 7 City Council meeting, although City Attorney William Bailey said his employment would be discussed in closed session.
Extensive experience
Former Tenafly Borough Administrator Jewell Thompson-Chin, who served nine years in Tenafly, has also served management stints in Orange, Irvington, Plainfield, Paterson, and Newark before joining Tenafly.
She retired from Tenafly in September 2018. Her public management career spans three decades.
Chin, who will be “an independent contractor” to Englewood, is employed by Government Management Advisors LLC, and will be paid $120 per hour for 25-30 hours per week “for an unknown period of time,” states the resolution unanimously approved by City Council May 7.
The contract notes Gregory C. Fehrenbach serves as Chin’s alternate at $135 per hour, which will be necessary during a summer vacation for Chin, council members said.
Glynn said May 7 that the council will soon be hiring a professional search firm to begin a search for a full-time city manager.
No timeline for the search or Chin’s interim city manager status was provided.
Transparency, vetting
Before the council voted to hire Chin and Fehrenbach as interim managers, several residents questioned whether resumes would be available for the new hires and whether it was wise to be paying Hynes and an interim manager.
Glynn said “a good city manager will save the city a lot of money” and called a resident’s questioning of double payment for a city manager position “a very valid question.”
Horace Ragbir, a former council candidate, estimated $16,000 for Hynes while suspended and another $3,000-plus monthly for an interim manager was being spent.
‘Unfair to taxpayers’
“It’s unfair to the taxpayers,” Ragbir said.
Hynes’ annual salary is $193,000, plus a car allowance of $400 monthly and 20 vacation days. He does not receive benefits.
Resident Rick Whilby questioned Hynes’ current status and asked to vet the resume of any new interim city manager.
“We need to know, you know, what happened with Hynes, he met the minimum requirements and he made $190,000 and got a car and didn’t even live in town,” said Whilby. He noted residents want a city manager “they can connect to.”
Glynn said the new interim manager’s resume would be posted online May 8 and a meet-and-greet would be arranged soon for residents and Chin.
City Council also unanimously approved a resolution “memorializing suspension” of Hynes “pursuant to City Charter Section 6.2,” which occurred at the April 16 session.
Hynes was suspended following an 80-minute closed session April 16, with council members declining to reveal any details publicly.
He was hired in November 2017 by a split City Council at a meeting where many residents spoke against his hiring, marked by frequent shouts and accusations alleging former misdeeds.
Following Hynes’ mid-April suspension, residents alleged it was likely due to Hynes’ decision to offer employment to 12 candidates for firefighter positions, following a contentious April 2 meeting where the council had assured residents that non-resident firefighters had not been offered employment.
Several firefighters noted to Northern Valley Press that the new firefighters had shown up for a day of orientation and training and then received a city letter signed by Hynes withdrawing their employment and enrollment in the Fire Academy due to an unapproved city budget.
Potential lawsuits?
Other firefighter sources noted at least seven of the 12 firefighters were considering lawsuits against the city to reverse the decision not to employ the firefighters.
One firefighter, John Escobar, spoke at the April 16 meeting, characterizing Hynes’ decision reversing the firefighters’ hiring as “screwing people’s lives” as the 12 new firefighters left former jobs to prepare to serve Englewood residents.
Escobar said the department was “30 percent short” of firefighters to adequately protect the city.
Also April 16, the council introduced an ordinance to offer a residency preference for hiring in city firefighter and police positions. A public hearing is scheduled May 21.
It was unclear what impact the new ordinance will have on current firefighter and police candidate lists or when it will be implemented.
The proposed 12-month residency requirement lists seven standards for legal residency but provides few details on how these will be evaluated or enforced.
‘Entitled to receive’ salary
Should the council decide to terminate Hynes, according to the City Charter, the manager “is entitled to receive salary for the next three calendar months.”
In addition the Charter specifies “at least 30 days before such removal shall become effective, the council shall, by a majority vote of full membership, adopt a preliminary resolution stating the reasons for removal.”
It states the manager can request a public hearing, if desired, and once a removal resolution is adopted by majority vote, the manager receives full salary for three months after termination.
The City Charter was adopted by Englewood in August 1978.