JULY 24, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2015, 12:30 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Print
Process for HR position ‘broken’
To the Editor:
At a recent council meeting, Councilman Mike Sedon was chastised for saying that he was misled in the budget process because he had not received any information regarding a part-time HR position becoming a full-time one and that it was not brought to the council level for discussion and/or a vote as required by our own village code. Now we find that the title of this newly instituted position is confidential secretary.
Disregarding the notion that this sounds like a job right out of “Mad Men,” it seems that this title was a way to circumvent the Civil Service guidelines. Confidential secretary is not a competitive position and therefore need not be appropriately advertised, applicants tested and rated accordingly.
Two members of the council have further questioned the process and have publicly said that they had no opportunity to debate or to vote on this hiring. If 40 percent of our council was left out of the loop on purpose or inadvertently, then the process is broken as has been charged. Rather than an acknowledgement of this scenario from the village manager and/or the mayor, Mr. Sedon and Councilwoman Susan Knudsen have been treated with disrespect for voicing their concerns.
It now appears that the entire HR hiring was not in accordance with current village code, hence all the resolutions to change it (notably after the fact).
Some will say, “What’s the big deal, we needed an HR director.” The big deal is that this will be a permanent position with a salary of approximately $100,000. Council members vote on vehicle purchases, upgrades, etc., but not a newly created department head?
Also, we didn’t get an HR director, we got a confidential secretary.
Guidelines are in effect to protect the process and the people involved. They were not followed and now there is doubt about the integrity of our village hiring practices. This did not have to happen.
Linda McNamara
Ridgewood
so much for the great finance commission. come on with the b s . this is all in side info.
can u say scam.
From one liar to another.
Linda, eyes on the prize please. Valley should lose its not for profit status based on Morristown ruling and pay its fair share of property taxes (currently assessed at $4.3mn+) and you’re still stuck playing politics with Mike and Sue
what a mess.
Great letter, Linda. Thank you for clarifying what so many of us think. Excellent.
To 2:31 pm – The Morristown decision is important, but to think the appropriate way of running of the Village should be ignored is wrong.
The Valley situation, the parking garage, and the future of the CBD are all important to this town, and always have been. Having watched all this play out over 30 years I have to say that if you are not concerned about where this town is headed now you better well should be, especially if you have kids and are planning on staying here for any meaningful period of time. Because at least at this point, more than any other, it really seems as if a relatively small group of people, driven by nothing more than ego, greed, and arrogance, are attempting to take advantage of what we have here.