BOROUGH OF MOUNTAIN LAKES
MORRIS COUNTY
SPECIAL MEETING
SEPTEMBER 3, 2009
7:30 P.M.
M I N U T E S
1. CALL TO ORDER; OPENING STATEMENT: This meeting is being held in
compliance with Public Law 1975, Chapter 231,
Sections 4 and 13, as notice of
this meeting and the agenda thereof had
been reported to Daily Record, Star Ledger
and Citizen on August 31, 2009
and posted in the municipal building.
Mayor
Shaw called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
2. ATTENDANCE AND FLAG
SALUTE
All
Council members were present
Also
in attendance were Borough Attorney James Brice and Borough Clerk Christina
Whitaker.
3. EXECUTIVE
SESSION
Resolution 104-09
WHEREAS, the Borough Council of the Borough of Mountain Lakes, County of
Morris, State of New Jersey finds it necessary to discuss matters relating to,
· Borough Manager Position/Contract Negotiations
WHEREAS, the Borough Council believes it to be in the best interest of the public to discuss such matters in closed session.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED by the Borough Council of the Borough of Mountain Lakes, that it shall
enter Executive Session to discuss only those matters mentioned above; the
results of which will be disclosed when the matters are resolved
and upon vote of the
Governing Body to release the minutes.
Motion by Councilman Gormally, second by Councilman Jackson to
enter into Executive
Session, with all members in favor signifying by “Aye.”
Motion by Councilman Happer,
second by Councilwoman Bravo to close the
Executive Session and return to the public portion of the
meeting at 9:15 p.m.
4. SEARCH COMMITTEE REPORT
Mayor
Shaw explained the role of the Search Committee and the names of its
members.
Councilman Jackson, as chair of the Search
Committee, explained the process of
advertising for a Borough Manager and the desired qualifications it
desired. The Committee
received 76 resumes for the position.
Committee members ranked the individuals applying
until
the pool of candidates was narrowed down to ten. The Committee was unanimous in
its
decision to recommend Barry Lewis for the position.
Mr.
Lewis’s qualifications include serving as administrator in Mine Hill, and Spring
Lake, NJ
and
serving as the Planning Board attorney for Pompton Lakes. He is familiar with
grant
preparation and has experience in shared public services. (Search Committee report
attached)
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
Mayor Shaw explained the
Council’s policy of limiting each speaker to five (5) minutes and no yielding
of time to another person.
Mayor Shaw opened the public comment portion of the meeting with
the consent of the
Council.
Michael
Feigeles – Boulevard
Mr. Feigeles suggested the Council
consider allowing the public to comment on each topic
on the agenda. He said the feedback
from the public would be greater.
Steve
Castellucci – Laurelwood Drive
Mr. Castellucci thanked the Search
Committee for the amount of time it spent looking for a
new Borough Manager.
Rainer Mimberg – Lake End Place/Search
Committee Member
Mr. Mimberg said that Mr. Lewis’s
experience was “head and shoulders” above the other
candidates. There was no question that
this was the person to fill the position of Borough
Manager.
With
no one wishing to be heard, Mayor Shaw closed the public comment portion of the
meeting.
Deputy
Mayor Gormally said he regretted that the public portion of the meetings could
not be
less formal but due to past circumstances
it was necessary to have a policy in place at public
meetings.
Councilwoman Bravo said that out of all the candidates interviewed for
the position of
Borough
Manager, Mr. Lewis was the best qualified and was a good fit for the Borough.
Councilman Happer said that Mr. Lewis’s work experience would be a bonus
for the Borough
and that
after the Council’s interview with him, agreed with Councilwoman Bravo that he
was
the best
fit for the Borough..
Councilman McWilliams noted his original concerns but said he found Mr.
Lewis very
personable and qualified.
Deputy Mayor Gormally said Mr. Lewis brought with
him a great deal of training in several
areas,
including municipal law.
Councilwoman Emr said she
had reservations about the amount of salary being offered to Mr. Lewis and
would have preferred staying within the 2009 budgeted salary amount. However,
she said she would support him once he was in place. Mr. Lewis will be
paid $130,000 starting October 5, 2009
through December 31, 2010.
Mayor
Shaw said he was impressed with Mr. Lewis’s caliber of management, including
his
experience dealing with
beaches and lakes and supervising a Department of Public Works.
The Mayor also noted that
the interim manager, Chief Robert Tovo, had been doing a great job.
Council
Member |
By: |
2nd: |
Yes |
No |
Abstain |
Absent |
McWilliams |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
Emr |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
Jackson |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
Gormally |
|
X |
X |
|
|
|
Happer |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
Bravo |
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
Shaw |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
7. ADJOURNMENT
Motion by Councilman Happer, second by Deputy Mayor Gormally, to
adjourn the meeting at 10 p.m. with all members in favor signifying by “Aye.”
*Consent Agenda
Attest:
___________________________ _____________________
Christina Whitaker, Borough
Clerk Stephen H. Shaw, Mayor