Highlands Mayor Nolan Calls For Sharing Municipal Accounting Services, Criticizes Proposal To Give CFO Candidate A 6th Government Job

If one person can do six government jobs for $300,000, why can’t those governmental entities get together and hire one person to do that work for half the amount or less?

Highlands Mayor Frank Nolan, photo by Tim Larsen, Governor’s Office

In his column on facebook and Atlantic Highlands Herald, Highlands Mayor Frank Nolan said there is currently a contract being negotiated for a new Chief Financial Officer in the borough. The candidate, who Nolan did not name, currently has five government jobs, including another job in Highlands, and earns $244,606. If hired as Highlands’ new CFO, the candidate would have to work 160 hours per week, theoretically, to justify the combined full time and part time salaries which would exceed $300,000.

As of this writing, there is a contract being written for someone to fill that position that already has 5 municipal jobs across the state. If this individual was to be given this 6th municipal job at our council meeting on December 18th they would be one of the top paid public employees in the state and would hold 2 jobs in the Borough of Highlands. His current salary listed on the state website is $244,606 for his 5 current positions. If we add another $65,000 to the total and highlands would be putting him over the $300,000 per year mark.

By definition most part time jobs are about 20 hours per week. The average fulltime job is 40 hours. If you have 4 part time jobs, that means you are working, in theory, 80 hours per week on those jobs. Plus you have 2 full time jobs. That’s another 80 hours. The person who is potentially being given a 6th municipal job at the Wed, December 18th council meeting that will be held at Highlands Elementary School at 8:00pm for the public. This person will be working 160 hours per week. There are 168 total hours in a 7 day week. How can someone work 6 jobs and be effective? The answer is: they can’t.

MMM believes the accountant is Highlands Tax Collector Patrick DeBlasio, who, according to APP’s Data Universe, has two jobs in Carteret, and one job each in Keansburg, North Plainfield, in addition to his tenured position in Highlands, all of which will pay a pension.

Nolan, the lone Republican on the five person governing body, wants to enter into a shared services agreement with a neighboring community for the borough’s accounting and budgeting needs. At the very least, Nolan wants the borough to advertise the job.

Something is radically wrong with this picture. You have to ask yourself, “who would think this is a good idea and why?” I have already started the process of gathering information on any possible shared service agreement and will ask that we advertise the job for 30 days to see what candidates are out there. I encourage everyone to ask the other council members’ if they think giving this individual a 6th municipal job is a good idea and if they do think this is a good idea, why? Also, in our most pressing time of need, how much attention are we getting from someone with 5 other positions? If you are the best at any particular field and excel in your position, you simply could not put in the amount of time required to get the job done. The math does not add up.

Councilman Chris Francy seems to be with Nolan on this issue. “Conceptually, I am dead set against it,” Francy said of hiring a person with 5 other jobs, “it is unconscionable that anyone is paid for 160 hours of work in a week.”

Council President Rebecca Kane, Councilwoman Tara Ryan and Councilman Kevin Redmond have not yet returned calls asking for comment.

In his column, Nolan, who also has not returned our call today, said that the hiring in on the agenda of the Council’s December 18 meeting.