HILLSDALE—Less than two months after his initial one-year contract was renewed for three years — through December 2025 — business administrator David Troast has resigned, effective Dec. 16, citing “a great divide” between the mayor and council “which has made managing the borough very difficult, time-consuming and stressful.”
In his two-page resignation letter, which we obtained via a public records request, Troast explained his rationale for departing after some 10 months on the job. He said job conditions were taking a toll on his health and that he would stay on until a replacement was found.
He also said the borough needs more employees in the police and public works departments and that “other departments lack training and skills to operate with current staffing.”
He said he garnered council support for bringing in a retired judge to mediate work culture issues on the governing body short of his resignation. Mayor John Ruocco confirms this, and indicated that as a condition for expending $5,000 in funds for the mediation he wanted the council first to reverse itself on bylaw changes that it made in late 2021 with which he did not agree.
‘Hostility and disharmony…’
Troast wrote, “The lack of trust with the mayor/council and attacks in the media create hostility and disharmony in the Borough, which is difficult to overcome. There are employee issues that complicates the effectiveness and leadership of the Departments. The Borough needs more employees in DPW, Police and Crossing Guards. Other Departments lack training and skills to operate with current staffing.”
He added, “In my discussions with several members of council it was stated that I needed to dedicate more time to the job. I agree with that statement based on the issues stated above. To move the Borough forward, I would need to work 50 to 60 hours a week to fill in the gaps and address all of the issues necessary to move Hillsdale forward. However, that effort would be in vain if the work culture and mayor/council relationship doesn’t change.”
He said, “I have consulted with my wife, family and doctors concerning their observations of my health, happiness and wellbeing. The news is not encouraging, which tells me what I knew already. Hillsdale is not the place for the ‘Work-Life Balance’ that I need in this stage of my life. The stress and work pressure has had an adverse impact on me, which I cannot ignore.”
Troast said, “Therefore, I am giving you notice of my resignation as of this Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. This decision has been very difficult for me. I would like to transition out smoothly, so the projects and the Borough operations are not disrupted.”
Troast was hired at $129,000 annually in March 2022 by a 4-3 vote, with Ruocco breaking a council tie. On Oct. 18, the council voted, 3-2, to approve a three-year contract extension for the admin through 2025, at annual salaries of $140,000 in 2023, $145,000 in 2024, and $150,000 in 2025.
Immediate past administrator Christopher Tietjen resigned in January after two years on the job, leaving for a similar position in Wayne, a much larger community. He had just inked a four-year extension here, in September 2021, starting at $129,000, plus benefits, and annual raises of 2%. Wayne started him at a base pay of $165,000.
Simultaneously, Ruocco had announced the resignation of DPW superintendent William “Billy” Haffler, who alleged he had clashed with Tietjen personally and professionally, and also called out dysfunction on the governing body. (See “BA, DPW Chief Resign,” Pascack Press, Jan. 31, 2022.)
Troast said his departure date is “flexible depending on the search for my replacement,” and reminded council of a vacation scheduled in February. “Depending on the experience of my replacement, I would be open to continuing part time as an employee or a consultant for as long as I may be needed. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.”
Troast pointed out he had tried to line up a mediator to help repair the difficult relationship between the council and mayor. However, he said Ruocco “rejected” the idea.
The council majority’s relationship with Ruocco was complicated late in 2021 when Ruocco revealed the $16 million estimate for a new community center and recreational field upgrade in advance of what council members said was a previously agreed-upon release date.
Prior to that, Ruocco and the council majority had fought over council transparency, budgetary matters, and whether to release “advisory, consultative or draft” documents that would be discussed at a public meeting. Generally, councilman Zoltán Horváth votes against the majority. Ruocco, as mayor, votes only in case of a tie vote.
Following the mayor’s early release of the community center/field estimate, the council changed its bylaws to remove Ruocco’s ex-officio role on advisory committees and changed the order of meeting “council commentaries” that required the mayor to speak first.
Councilmembers had often complained that Ruocco got the abrasive and “explosive” last word at meetings, chastising decisions or dinging the council for an alleged lack of transparency.
‘I have tried…’
Said Troast, “I have tried with my experience and mediation skills to bridge the divide, with no lasting success. I have grown frustrated and at times complicated the situation with my own actions. The idea of bringing [retired] Judge [Alexander] Carver as a mediator was considered approved by the council and sadly rejected by the mayor making it evident that change would not take place.”
He added, “The lack of trust with the mayor/council and attacks in the media create hostility and disharmony in the Borough, which is difficult to overcome.”
Troast’s Dec. 16 resignation letter provides brief notes on several ongoing projects:
- The Patterson Street Redevelopment Plan;
- Centennial Athletic Complex;
- Community space proposed at Stonybrook Swim Club;
- A downtown rehabilitation study;
- Ongoing shared-service discussions for ambulance, court, and public works;
- Preliminary evaluations of DPW facility alternatives;
- Ongoing grants;
- The 2023 budget; and
- Labor contract negotiations.
When Ruocco announced Troast was replacing Tietjen, the mayor lauded Troast’s many years’ experience in the private and public sectors. His professional planning and consulting firm specialized in community redevelopment, and he’s been project manager for architectural and engineering firms. He served many years in Sparta Township, including as its township manager and in directing their community development and planning.
More recently he served the residents of Hackensack as city manager. He holds degrees in horticulture, landscape architecture, and planning from SUNY, Colorado State University, and CUNY respectively, and has studied public administration and redevelopment planning at Rutgers. He is certified as a civil mediator in the New Jersey courts system.
Ruocco said Troast has taught and lectured at Rutgers, the New Jersey League of Municipalities, Morris County Community College, and at many professionally organized conferences.
Troast’s LinkedIn headline reads “Professional planner, landscape architect, and civil mediator.” His career objective is “to continue to serve in government by enhancing the quality of public services for all people.”
Ruocco blames the council majority
Asked about Troast’s allegations, Ruocco said he “could not defend” spending $5,000 of public funds “to mediate what was essentially a political disagreement caused by the council’s own action … the unprecedented removal of the mayor from standing committee participation through revisions to the (council) bylaws.”
He added, “My view was that the bylaw changes should first be reversed so that the mayor’s role would be comparable to that in other municipalities, and then I would be open to any discussions on how to improve communication and transparency without spending taxpayer funds to do so.”
Ruocco declined to comment on Troast’s letter on the grounds that the administrator quitting is a personnel matter. He said the borough would move to find a replacement as soon as possible. Filling the key slot, he said, “depends on how many individuals are interested, what their qualifications are, and how quickly they can make themselves available. Obviously, they must be able to convince at least four members of the [governing body] that they can do the job.”
Asked Dec. 18 about Troast’s resignation, which Ruocco had recently announced via an email to residents, Councilwoman Abby Lundy, who voted against Troast’s initial hiring, as well as his mid-October contract extension, said Troast spoke for himself. “The letter very explicitly explains his reasons for resigning.”