A Strange Silence In Town Hall

There's been an eerie silence in Town Hall recently.

Numerous phone calls and e-mails have gone unanswered, despite Patch's best efforts to find out why Berkeley needs a deputy police chief, why the commissioners on the Municipal Utilities Authority or Sewerage Authority deserve hefty raises.

The Township Council approved the two ordinances at the Oct. 21 council meeting, without a word. As he has several times this fall, Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. left the meeting before the public portion began.

Both ordinances are up for a second reading and public hearing at a special Township Council meeting slated for 9:30 a.m. today. To say the time of the meeting will be inconvenient for most residents is an understatement.

Amato missed several meetings and did not attend the public hearing on the budget. The mayor is not required to attend Township Council meetings, but Amato has always attended them prior to this fall.

It's no secret the Republicans on the council wanted more input into the selection of police chief when longtime Chief John Weinlein retired back in 2011.

Then-Mayor Jason J. Varano appointed now-Chief Karin T. DiMichele. DiMichele came in first in the state on the chief's exam. But the Republican faction on the council back then wanted a say in who the next chief would be.

Amato led the charge and proposed an ordinance giving the governing body more say the next time a chief was appointed.

Now the mayor and the all-Republican council have decided that Berkeley - with a population of roughly 42,000 - needs a deputy chief, a position neighboring municipalities do not have.

"The proposed Deputy Chief of Police shall be appointed by the Appropriate Authority and shall be qualified as required by State Law," the ordinance states. "The Deputy Chief of Police shall assume the responsibilities of the Chief of Police when the Chief is not available or when the position of Chief is vacant. The Deputy Chief of Police shall assist the Chief in running the Department and carrying out the responsibilities of the Chief of Police, as well as carry out any other duties as assigned by the Chief."

The other ordinance up for a second reading and public hearing on Friday deals with raises for members of the Municipal Utilities Authority and the Berkeley Township Sewerage Authority. No officials commented on the ordinance when it was unanimously introduced at the Oct. 21 meeting.

The ordinance calls for commissioners to be paid up to $5,000 a year, plus expenses. Council members voted 5 to 0 to introduce the ordinance. Councilman Kevin Askew and Councilwoman Fran Siddons were absent.

"Each such member shall receive such compensation for his services, to be determined by the Authority, not to exceed $5,000 per year per member," the ordinance states. "Authority members may be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred from the discharge of their duties."

BTSA Commissioner AnthonyDePaola - who is president of the local Republican Club - proposed a resolution last October dealing with raises.

"Whereas the Authority believes it is appropriate and proper that the commissioners be paid for the extraordinary amount of time and effort expended in service to the Authority and the residents of Berkeley Township," the resolution passed by BTSA commissioners states.

None of the monthly BTSA meetings this year have lasted longer than an hour and 50 minutes this year. The April meeting began at 6 p.m. and adjourned at 6:55 p.m., according to the minutes.

Patch has also been trying to obtain the name, salary and benefits information for the recently appointed network administrator position, to no avail. The mayor has not returned a phone call or an e-mail to Patch since early September.

The puzzling lack of communication and transparency from township officials is a trend that does not bode well for the residents of Berkeley Township.