BRADLEY BEACH — Bookended by an intense public discussion, the Bradley Beach council rejected the appointment of Council President Meredith DeMarco as the new borough administrator in a one-to-three vote, with only Mayor Larry Fox voting “yes.”
As the search for a new permanent borough administrator following the departure of Kim Humphrey in February entered its eighth month, the council voted against the appointment of fellow council member and Council President DeMarco to the position. Telegraphing their eventual “no” votes, council members Jane DeNoble, Al Gubitosi and John Weber laid out their reasons for their forthcoming decisions. Council President DeMarco was not present for the discussion.
“First of all, this is not personal; I serve you, the public. This is my job,” said Councilwoman Jane DeNoble. She also hearkened back to February and the outset of the search, and told the public that the job posting for borough administrator did not include having a graduate degree as one of the necessary qualifications.
“There are so many issues with Mayor Fox’s proposed appointment of Councilwoman Meredith DeMarco for the business administrator,” Councilwoman DeNoble said. “First is the ethics of a newly-elected, sitting councilwoman applying for this position. Second is Councilwoman DeMarco’s lack of any experience as a BA, and lack of foundational educational degrees; and she has minimal experience—two years—in municipal government.”
The mayor retorted to the allegation of ethics issues, saying that the use of the term bothered him because he had not previously been made aware of such concerns.
“When people throw around the word ‘ethics,’ that concerns me. The council interviewed Ms. DeMarco back in May and I heard no issues around that term ‘ethics,’” said Mayor Fox. “It seems like ethics pops up periodically with people in an inappropriate context … don’t know that there’s an ethics issue.”
For more on this story, read the next edition of The Coast Star—on newsstands Thursday or online in our e-Edition.
Check out our other Bradley Beach stories, updated daily. And remember to pick up a copy of The Coast Star—on newsstands Thursday or online in our e-Edition.
Subscribe today! If you're not already an annual subscriber to The Coast Star, get your subscription today! For just $38 per year, you will receive local mail delivery weekly, with pages and pages of local news and online access to our e-edition on Starnewsgroup.com.
