By WILLIAM CLARK
The Neptune Township Committee opted to not fill the vacancy left by the departure of Committeeman Keith Cafferty.
With Cafferty’s resignation, the township Democratic party was responsible for providing three names from which the Committee could choose to fill the role for the next year. However, after being presented with the option to move on the resolution that would have seated a new member, no one on the dais spoke up.
Township Attorney Gene Anthony said that the responsibility now falls to the Democratic Party to choose from Jim Manning, a former mayor and committeeman, Derek Griggs and Jason Jones, a former Board of Education member.
“The statute reads that you have a total of 30 days, which means to the end of this month, so October 30,” Anthony said to the four present members. “Is there a likelihood that anyone on this Township Committee would move a resolution to appoint one of the three names?”
Anthony was met with silence.
“It’s now officially returned to the Democratic executive committee. They have 15 days to appoint one of the three. They can’t come up with new names,” Anthony said of the process.
Since the resolution did not move forward, the public were not given the ability to comment on the matter.
The committee also passed a resolution to terminate Public Works Director David Milmoe.
his is the third such vote that has been taken after the fcourt ruled the first two votes were not legal.
Milmoe, who has a pending lawsuit against the township and Mayor Tassie York, was suspended for a social media post. His original termination did not hold because York did not recuse herself from the procedures even though Milmoe had an open complaint against her. The second vote ended in a tie. Although Anthony said that the tie counted as an affirmative vote to terminate Milmoe, the judge said that since the original vote did not count Milmoe needed to receive a RICE notification informing him that his employment was to be discussed. Since that did not happen, the second vote was voided.
The most recent vote took place after Milmoe stood up and defended himself to the dais after York recused herself from the room.
“Even though the committee’s vote already failed, it is voting again for what exactly?” Milmoe asked. “Is this to carry out the mayor’s mission to get rid of me?”
Milmoe alleges in his lawsuit that York targeted him after Milmoe denied employing a person that identified himself to be a relative of York.
Milmoe stated that all he wants is to continue to serve in the role that he has been removed from and criticized the committee for its handling of the issue. Milmoe stated that he did not want to bring the lawsuit, the defense of which will cost taxpayers.
“Instead, taxpayer dollars will go to pay for yet another employee lawsuit, which I did not want,” he said. “A lawsuit that I never wanted or should have even come up if personal agendas weren’t in play. I just wanted the retaliation to stop, and I wanted to be able to do my job like I have done for the last two years and never had any complaints whatsoever of my job performance in any way, shape or form.”
Committeemen Rob Lane and Derel Stroud voted yes while Committeeman Kevin McMillan provided the lone no vote. Anthony confirmed that a majority of the present quorum was sufficient to pass the resolution.