HILLSDALE—Montvale Mayor Michael Ghassali was hired as neighboring Hillsdale’s newest borough administrator effective Feb. 21, at a starting annual salary of $140,000, and rising to $150,000 by year three of an approved contract.
Hillsdale’s Borough Council voted, 4–2, at the Feb. 7 meeting. John Escobar and Abby Lundy were the no votes.
Ghassali’s predecessor in the job, administrator David Troast, resigned on Dec. 16, citing “a great divide” between the mayor and council and health concerns as reasons for leaving. He had urged mediation to help resolve infighting.
Ghassali emailed Pascack Press, “I signed up to serve the mayor and council and the residents of Hillsdale. I am honored to take on this duty and I look forward to meet and listen to the governing body members, staff, professionals and board volunteers and to work with everyone to ultimately serve the Hillsdale community.”
Ghassali also said he intends to run for reelection in 2023. His second mayoral term expires Dec. 31, 2023.
The contract provides Ghassali four weeks’ vacation and two personal days annually. As administrator, he does not get overtime compensation.
Asked how he planned to juggle both jobs, he said, “I will do my job as a (borough administrator) and be where I need to be as BA, day or night. If I am not able to be in Montvale for any reason, we have a council president (Douglas Arendacs) and governing body and staff to do whatever needs to be done to serve the residents of Montvale.”
He said, “I had a full-time job for the past seven years and I was managing my time to be a mayor and be where a mayor needs to be during emergencies. There were times when I wasn’t able to be there, and that’s where the council president fills in. Nothing will change here, in fact it will be even better to learn and collaborate between the towns.”
Ghassali attended Hillsdale’s Jan. 4 reorganization meeting, where Ruocco and the council majority disagreed over Ruocco’s role. Ghassali called the meeting “interesting” in brief remarks that night.
(See “Trochimiuk, Fox sworn Jan. 4; mayor-council divide persists,” Michael Olohan, Jan. 16, 2023, Pascack Press.)
The council also approved a resolution to pay Troast to remain an extra two weeks, Feb. 21 through March 10, to assist in the new administrator’s transition. Ruocco said that Troast would be paid his regular salary, about $2,700 per week.
By Ruocco’s recollection, Ghassali, a fellow Republican, is Hillsdale’s seventh borough administrator since approximately 2012. Jonathan DeJoseph served two tours of duty (2012–2014; 2016–2019); Susan Witkowski (2014–2016); Robert Gallione (interim, three months, 2019); Christopher Tietjen (2020–2021); and Troast (2022).
Escobar said his no vote was “not a personal thing” against Ghassali but questioned how the Montvale mayor would “budget his time between here and Montvale.” He said there were “numerous reasons why I don’t think it would be effective.”
Escobar told Pascack Press, “There are too many potential conflicts that I feel could be detrimental to the efficient operation of the Borough. Our towns share a Board of Education. He has a voice in Montvale whether he is part of BOE or not. Everything from state of emergencies to council meetings, his allegiance is going to be where he resides and where he is mayor.”
He said, “Right off the bat, there’s 12 council meetings that conflict with Montvale. I can go on and on.”
Escobar criticized Ruocco for not being transparent about his relationship with Ghassali, while vouching for Ghassali. “The mayor (Ruocco) is good at preaching transparency, the practicing part of it, not so much,” charged Escobar. Ruocco did not vote for Ghassali; as mayor he only votes in case of a tie vote.
Both Escobar and Lundy voted against Ghassali’s hiring and his contract.
Lundy told Pascack Press, “While legally there is no conflict with Mr. Ghassali serving as both mayor of Montvale and Hillsdale’s administrator, because of the close proximity of our towns, I believe a conflict exists. There are many potential instances where Mr. Ghassali will need to make a choice between the town in which he lives in and serves as chief executive and the town and residents that employ him.”
Lundy said, “Our mayor has stated that he’s worked on many projects with Mr. Ghassali in their shared capacity of mayor in the Pascack Valley. There’s an appearance of political cronyism that I can’t get past in addition to the perceived conflict. For these reasons I was not in favor of appointing Mr. Ghassali as administrator. Since a majority of my peers did not agree with me, Mr. Ghassali has been appointed and I wish him well and trust that he will serve Hillsdale’s best interests.”
Ruocco welcomed Ghassali as the new administrator, noting he works with him on the Pascack Valley Mayors Association and “got to know him personally.”
He said Ghassali knows how municipal government works, and the private sector, and will effectively run day-to-day operations. As mayor, Ruocco only votes in case of a tie vote.
On Feb. 8, Ruocco issued a statement welcoming Ghassali: “Mr. Ghassali has been a member of Montvale’s governing body since 2010, and is presently Montvale’s mayor. Having worked with Mr. Ghassali (Mike) for several years on projects advancing common goals on behalf of the greater Pascack Valley community, it is my pleasure to welcome him as a key employee of the Borough of Hillsdale.”
Ruocco said, “Mr. Ghassali has served in an executive capacity over the past 25 years in both the private and public sectors. For the past eight years he has been a language analyst with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Prior to that he served several years as a VP in Corporate Partnerships at Feed the Children, Oklahoma City.”
Ruocco said Ghassali founded Damage Research Inc. in Saddle Brook, and remained as unit head after it was sold to GENCO Inc., Pittsburgh. He also founded a budget hair salon in Saddle Brook, and was employed 15 years at Unilever, Englewood Cliffs, managing large damage and return operations.
Ghassali received an associate degree in biology from Bergen Community College, took courses in computer and business administration at St. Peter’s University, and also a bachelor degree in sociology from William Paterson University.
Hillsdale Council President Anthony DeRosa said that Ghassali was a “really good fit for the town” and that his management style should have “a calming effect on the town. I hope that he’ll have longevity here.”
DeRosa told Pascack Press, “We were lucky to have interviewed several solid candidates for the Borough Administrator position. Ultimately, I felt Mr. Ghassali was the best fit for Hillsdale. I feel he brings a level of integrity, experience and professionalism that will serve the Borough well.”
He said, “Mr. Ghassali has been a public servant for many years and has garnered the respect of many in the Pascack Valley and beyond. I am impressed with his management style and his desire to make this a long-term relationship with the Borough. I look forward to working with him and seeing the great things he can do for Hillsdale.”
Councilwoman Janetta Trochimiuk welcomed Ghassali and said she looked forward to working with him.
Ghassali was a declared congressional candidate for the Fifth Congressional District in 2019 before dropping out of the race.