Brick Mayoral Salary Debate Continues

An ordinance which council members will decide whether to vote into law next week was still being debated at Tuesday evening's township council caucus meeting, with some saying a potential loophole could mean the question of whether Brick's mayor collects a "full time" salary or not is still in the air.

Council President John Ducey has proposed an ordinance that will set the mayor's salary at $52,000 – the current rate – if the mayor does not have full time employment elsewhere. If a mayor works 35 or more hours per week at an outside job – regardless of whether the job is in the public or private sector – he or she would earn a $15,000 part-time salary from the mayoral position.

Ducey argued Tuesday that the ordinance is straightforward in nature, a position with which some critics of the proposed ordinance took issue.

"If you have your own business and say, 'well, I'm working 34 hours per week,' then that's what the ordinance says," said Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis, who said he will for the remainder of his term, which expires in 2013. "If you come into town hall for one hour per week, you can collect $52,000. It doesn't affect me, It's a dollar going forward. But for other people who sit in this seat, you want to get it right. We should be looking at a range."

Setting a salary range was proposed by Councilman Joseph Sangiovanni, who said Toms River's mayoral salary ordinance works in such a way. The salary ordinance in that town provides for a salary between $27,000 and $75,000.

Councilman Domenick Brando also asked that Ducey's ordinance be reworked, saying the council needed to "get it right" so the issue could be set aside.

Several members of the public who attended the meeting suggested that the mayor be held accountable for time spent at town hall, though elected officials from both parties agreed such a system of accountability was not particularly feasible, as the mayor tends to township business in many locations, and at all hours.

"The problem with setting hours is that you'd only have certain people who could run for mayor," Ducey said, explaining that a working resident of Brick would have to quit his or her job in order to become mayor if certain hours were required. "The easiest way to regulate it, my thought, is a full-time or part-time salary. One or the other."

"It's a pretty clear policy," said Councilman Jim Fozman, expressing his support for Ducey's proposal.

"Everybody knows, if somebody's working a full-time job, they're working a full-time job," said Ducey. "That seems a lot cleaner than having a range where we let the mayor choose what his salary is."

Ducey's proposed salary ordinance has been passed on first reading. A public hearing and vote on final passage is set for the Jan. 24 council meeting.