SPOTSWOOD–With a 3-2 vote, the Borough Council tabled a resolution to appoint Business Administrator Dawn McDonald as the municipality’s public agency compliance officer.
“The public agency compliance officer acts as the liaison between the state and the borough to ensure that all of our bid contracts are in compliance with state statutes,” McDonald said during the council’s reorganization meeting on Jan. 6.
Councilman Ted Ricci said, “Personally, I think we should take a vote on if we keep [McDonald] or don’t keep her and not table it.”
By the council tabling the resolution, Councilman Charlie Spicuzzo asked if the borough is at risk for anything by not having an appointed compliance officer.
Borough Attorney Lawerence Sachs said, “Yes, there is some exposure. … So we do need to address this issue rather quickly and essentially what will happen and by the way, McDonald will just be a holdover, until such determination is made on this. … So we are not at risk with that situation, but it’s not something that should linger for a long period of time.”
Councilmen Jose Rivera, Larry Kraemer and John Meillo voted “yes.” Ricci and Spicuzzo voted “no.”
McDonald said she has held this position for the past seven years.
Resident Jackie Palmer asked if there is anybody else in the borough who can do that job besides McDonald.
Mayor Edward Seely said he will investigation to see who can be the public agency compliance officer.
Resident Collene Freda-Wronko said, “I am a little concerned with this compliance officer resolution, especially considering that as McDonald stated that she has been the compliance officer for the past seven years and over that past seven years we’ve had several instances now. … Then we have the lawsuits because she can’t be compliant and she does not work well and play well with others. So we have all of these lawsuits that are going to be slapping us in the face … so I honestly think that there are other people in this borough that are a lot more qualified than McDonald to be a compliance officer, who cannot be compliant.”
Resident Cheryl Bass said, “If you are appointing somebody to do a certain job, that they comply with all the rules and regulations. So I would say that the borough should want to make sure that everything is in compliance and that putting Dawn McDonald into a compliance job is not beneficial to the town of Spotswood [and] not beneficially to the taxpayers.”
McDonald is the defendant in a series of claims lodged by former EMS Director David Nichols, Police Chief Michael Zarro and Police Captain Phillip Corbisiero. She is currently still in the position of business administrator for the borough.
For more information, visit www.spotswoodboro.com.
Contact Vashti Harris at vharris@newspapermediagroup.com.
