Bloomfield Gets New Township Administrator
Mayor, Councilman Joanow vote against hiring of Ted Ehrenburg
Photos
The Bloomfield town council voted Monday night to approve hiring of its newest township administrator, Ted Ehrenburg.
Ehrenburg, the current borough administrator of Bloomingdale in Passaic County, is coming in at a salary range of $150,000 to $180,000, said Mayor Raymond McCarthy. He is expected to start in about two weeks.
The resolution to hire Ehrenburg was approved with a 3-2 vote at Monday night's council meeting. Councilmen Elias Chalet, Carlos Bernard and Michael Venezia voted yes, while the mayor and Councilman Nick Joanow voted against. Councilwoman Peggy O'Boyle Dunigan and Bernard Hamilton were absent.
McCarthy claimed Ehrenburg had met with Bloomfield Democratic Party Chairman Pete Strumolo long before interviewing for the administrator position. For that reason, McCarthy said he did not support the hire, calling it an "abdication of our authority as council people."
"I think that's wrong, I think that's something that just is unconscionable, first of all," said McCarthy of the alleged meeting. "I will not support but … I will not veto the resolution."
The mayor said he also voted against the hire because he believed two other candidates were more qualified than Ehrenburg, the former police chief of Washington Township.
"He (Ehrenburg) was good, but he wasn't the best," said McCarthy.
Ehrenburg did not immediately return messages left Tuesday morning.
Township officials began interviewing candidates for the position in October, according to McCarthy. The pool of 60 candidates was whittled down to 30, 10 and finally six.
Bloomfield's Director of Personnel Linda Malone had been serving as acting administrator after former township administrator Yoshi Manale resigned in July. Manale, who previously told Patch it was the council's "prerogative to replace" him, had served as administrator since January 2011.
Pat Gilleran
1:37 pm on Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Why a salary increase- he couldn't start off at the prevailing wage?
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curbkiller
11:09 pm on Tuesday, November 6, 2012
How much money? He had better solve the town's fiscal issues right away. Does he have to move to town also?
Pat Gilleran
10:40 am on Wednesday, November 7, 2012
He has 6 months to move to Bloomfield per the charter- unless the town council decides otherwise.
$150,000.00 - 180,000.00
Karen Banda
11:09 pm on Tuesday, November 6, 2012
"I think that's wrong, I think that's something that just is unconscionable, first of all," said McCarthy of the alleged meeting.
Hizzoner is a hoot! He had no problem shoving inexperienced Yoshi down our throats last year. This township is corrupt, top to bottom. Someone somewhere has got to get a clue and look into it.
John Palomaki
12:17 pm on Wednesday, November 7, 2012
That's a ridiculous salary, and the county committee shouldn't be having any say in who our town's Administrator is. Glad to see the Mayor and Nick are on the same page on this one.
curbkiller
1:02 pm on Wednesday, November 7, 2012
I find it VERY ironic, as do most people, that RayRay is whining now about having a new administrator forced on the town after Yoshi was forced on us with his approval.
Either way, this guy has no idea what he's gotten himself into.
James Wollner
4:03 pm on Thursday, November 8, 2012
Everybody so far has not asked the question that is the most important of all, Why did Mr. Ehrenburg have to meet with the Democrat town chairman and party boss Peter Strumolo? Did he have to make sure he would "play ball"? Did he have to promise that all municipal jobs would have to be OK'd by Mr. Strumolo? Maybe it was just to get to know him over a cup of coffee. Where was Councilman Hamilton, who told him not to show up? Just asking a few questions........
James Wollner
Angela Ohanian
8:20 pm on Sunday, November 11, 2012
....."coming in at a salary range of $150,000 to $180,000!!! I think that is disgusting!" Exactly what does a township administrator do? he administers? Like what does the Essex County Supevisor do besides order the killing of deer. they are all corrupt and if they bar my comment - its par for the course in this high taxed town where I pay $14,000 a year in taxes and they messed up my driveway with their baloney water pipe work this summer and I cannot even get a trash can on the corner so the slobs that walk and drive on Belleville Avenue can drop their trash instead of on my lawn! How much dos a garbage pail cost? Maybe they can take it out of the "Administrator's slary!"