14-Nov-15, NJ.com
By Laura Herzog
Since Nov. 1, Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner has been working as a consultant in West New York, charged with not just mold remediation, but cutting costs, overseeing other projects, and applying for road-paving and open space funds.
Turner said the $90,000, six-month contract he's landed with the nearby town isn't a conflict of interest, and said it is aimed at saving money.
"I will save West New York more than what they're paying me. We already hit the (roughly $60,000) mark (in savings)," Turner, 65, said. "There's not a question in my mind they'll save more than what they're paying."
He said he already started working for the town this fall, without pay, offering advice on different projects to officials he knows in West New York. Turner also said he is taking a six-month unpaid leave of absence from his other job, as district director for U.S. Congressman Albio Sires (D), to take on this job.
In addition to handling mold remediation, Turner said he will oversee a fix of city hall's "major water infiltration issue," which he said will need costly renovations to repair the damage and prevent further water seepage, likely more than $100,000.
He said he is also managing requests for proposals to find an architectural firm to determine how to seal the outside of the building to prevent more water from coming in, and going out to bid to hire a contractor to fix the roof.
Though Turner called himself an "expert" who could help manage these projects in West New York, several residents said they had questions about his contract.
"The fact that we accept that as a viable reality flies in the face of (rationality)...The reality in which these people live is so skewed and so corrupt," said West New York resident Jon Evans. "Why is this man necessary?"
Turner's appointment seems like political patronage, he said: "(Local politicians) nurture each other, they owe each other, and then they give each other jobs that they're not necessarily qualified to do."
Ronald Scheurle, who recently ran against an administration-backed slate in the West New York school board elections on Nov. 3, said he plans to speak to the town about the contract.
"Turner was a capable business administrator, but I have questions to ask the mayor and the commissioners," he said.
West New York Mayor Felix Roque declined comment on Turner's role.
Turner, who has been the mayor of Weehawken for 25 years and said he is collecting an $8,000 a year salary as mayor, is retired after 25 years of public service in N.J. He noted that his service included spending 1995 to 2006 working in West New York as a business administrator when Sires was the town's mayor. Turner is currently collecting a pension of around $70,000 a year, he said.
He also volunteered as a consultant in West New York for several months when Roque was elected, he said, and Roque and several commissioners approached him this year about the new contract work.
"I work basically 24/7 in one role or another and it all gets done," Turner said. "I have become an expert in how local government works."
Despite the recent resignation of West New York's former business administrator, Turner is not acting in that role, a town spokeswoman said. Turner agreed, and added that his role will come at a cheaper cost than replacing the administrator would.
"They're saving the fringe benefits, and (my contract fee is) less than they were paying the previous administrator (at $196,000 a year)," he said. "This can be indeed more complicated and more intricate (than business administration)."
No comments:
Post a Comment