Despite the mysterious nature of this special meeting the main purpose was the appointment of a new council member to fill a vacant position, the State Statute requiring it to be filled within 30 days. Residents who visited the town’s website learned this from the mayor’s announcement which posted after the position was announced.
Some residents were quite surprised by the sudden nature of this meeting. Why the apparent secrecy? Although the meeting was formally announced by the borough clerk to the state, embeded on the town website, posted on the door of Borough Hall no notification was posted on either the town’s Facebook page or Twitter account which is where most residents go to keep up with happenings. Unless you went to the actual town website you wouldn’t find it. Surely a huge oversight?
The meeting was long, allowing for the interviews of 3 candidates for council and the new created position Deputy Borough Clerk.
Douglas Rotella was appointed to replace Dr. Thomas Hefner. From the mayor’s announcement:
The Governing Body is pleased to announce the appointment of Douglas Rotella as councilman to replace Dr. Thomas Hafner, who stepped down to devote time to his growing dental practice on March 26, 2019. Dr. Hafner was honored at the March 4, 2019 meeting for his nine years of service. Doug and his wife, Kathy, have lived in USR for 15 years. They have two children, Kylie, a senior at Northern Highlands and Luke, a sophomore. Doug founded REMN, Inc./Homebridge Financial Services in 1989.
Doug was selected after the USR Republican Municipal Committee received nine letters of interest and interviewed eight extremely well-qualified applicants. As required by State Statute, the committee recommended three finalists to the council for their final selection. Thank you to all the applicants for offering their time and talents and to the committee members, chaired by former Mayor Ken Gabbert.
Doug’s expressed goal is to work to enhance and strengthen the community and its image. He has stated that he and his wife long desired to move to USR, and love the town. His knowledge and experience in real estate and as an owner of a large mortgage banking firm will serve the community well with the ultimate goal of optimizing our property values.
Doug was appointed at a Special Meeting held on Monday, March 25, 2019 as the appointment must be made within 30 days as required by State Statute. He will be formally sworn in at the Regular Meeting on Thursday, April 4, 2019.
There is a little rumor that Mr Rotella might be a hunter. Does this mean he might have an interest in bringing deer hunting to Upper Saddle River?
Also appointed was a new Deputy Borough Clerk. Joy Convertini, a friend of the mayor, was given the position at a salary of $87,500. Long time residents were left wondering what had changed in the borough that required another clerk position when the town has managed very well without one. Calls to the borough hall enquiring about the position prior to the announcement were treated with evasiveness and ambiguous answers. Was the job even advertised? And why does the town need another clerk?
Public questions were taken prior to the executive meeting. A statement was made regarding how the mayor and council treated a senior citizen while at the podium at the previous meeting. It was pointed out that this resident was mocked and laughed at, in a way that was clearly disrespectful. This was disputed by the council. Following the meeting a video clip was posted on Facebook supporting the complaint. The Upper Saddle River mayor and council are known for their continued derisory and less than respectful treatment of residents who speak at the public meetings. Ironic.
Next regular council meeting Thursday April 4 2019 @8pm.
First, thanks for the minutes of this meeting which if you reviewed the town’s website page the night of the meeting, the town had not yet published the minutes for the Jan., Feb and Mar. M & C town meetings. In terms of announcing this meeting, they said they made the necessary announcements in both the Bergen Record and the Ridgewood News. I agree, it would have been nice to announce the meeting on the website and/or through swift911. Secrecy is a powerful tool….
Google searches have shown nothing on NorthJersey.com about the meeting, which is curious if it was posted. Maybe a resident has seen it and can confirm. And the minutes are always late, and very interpretive.