
By DON STINE
Donald Clare, an electrical sub-code official in Neptune, has been selected the 2016 Electrical Inspector of the Year by the Municipal Electrical Inspector’s Association.
“We are very proud of Don. He has been an exemplary employee and definitely deserves the award. He is very diligent and active in his industry and prides himself in knowledge of his field,” Neptune’s Director of Code and Construction William Doolittle said.
“I am very proud of Don for receiving this honor from his peers. It just reinforces my belief that we have township employees that are dedicated to both their profession and our residents. And this award simply magnifies what I already know about Don,” said Township Committeeman Randy Bishop.
Clare, who lives in Ocean Township and has worked in Neptune for almost 12 years, said he is “honored” to be selected by his peers for the award.
“I consider it a direct reflection of the people I work with and I am very fortunate to work with so many professionals who share their knowledge. I believe this is one of the main reasons I was considered- because of the people I work with. It was a total team effort,” he said.
He particularly cited fellow employees Diana Payjack, Heather Keplar, Ashleigh Curtis, Natasha Johnson, Bill Doolittle, Joe Siccone, Robert “Rusty” Kleiberg and many others for his success.
Clare received his training from both Monmouth County and state vocational programs.
“I have been through a lot of variations of training and it is still ongoing through state programs,” he said.
The state Department of Community Affairs issues licenses in five disciplines, with electrical inspector being one of them. Each discipline has its own association which is responsible for deciding who gets its annual award.
Clare will receive his award from the Municipal Electrical Inspector’s Association during its May 5 annual luncheon in Atlantic City.