Council rejects proposed mayoral appointment

VERNON — The Vernon Township Council on Thursday rejected the mayor's proposed appointment for Director of Recreation and Community Development, citing a number of concerns ranging from salary to education.
Mayor Harry Shortway sought approval for his appointment of Mishelle Downtain to fill the position, which has been vacant since last year.
Downtain has been serving as a recreation aide in the recreation department for the past three years, and has taken on the duties of director since the departure of the previous head in 2016. The mayor tapped her to be promoted to the role of Director of Recreation and Community Development at a proposed salary of $45,000.
Councilmembers Dick Wetzel, Patrick Rizzuto, and Sandra Ooms, however, objected to the appointment for various reasons.
Though the mayor argued recreation and community development are interrelated subject areas, Wetzel countered that a Director of Community Development should work to bring businesses to town. Wetzel said Downtain doesn't possess sufficient knowledge of issues businesses would like to know about – such as zoning and building regulations – to adequately perform those duties.
Rizzuto took issue with the proposed salary, noting some recreation duties had already been outsourced to the Police Athletic League (PAL) and said the $45,000 sum was too high for the duties involved. To that, Shortway said there were formerly two staff members, including a director and an assistant, in the office at a cost of more than $90,000. Downtain's appointment at the proposed level would represent a cost savings, he said.
Ooms presented the final objection based on what she characterized as Downtain's lack of educational qualifications to fill the role. Downtain responded that she has worked in the recreation office for three years, and also possesses an associate's degree in psychology.
Councilman Dan Kadish, by contrast, mounted a defense of the mayor's appointment based on the grounds that the council was “micromanaging” the mayor, and certain council member objections were off topic. Kadish said the position itself existed previously, and thus quibbles over job duties or salary had no place in the appointment discussion.
“I maintain the mayor, under this form of government, has the right to fill his department heads,” Kadish said. “I think it was inappropriate to question the job description and everything else because it's the mayor's prerogative.”
Support for Downtain was also voiced by residents – including PAL members – during the public comment portion of the meeting.
With the council's rejection of the appointment, Shortway indicated he plans to file for the State Department of Personnel to conduct a desk audit of Downtain's civil service duties. Shortway said the audit entails a civil service employee – like Downtain – listing their duties before an auditor, who then evaluates whether or not the employee's job title is suitable for those duties. Shortway said Downtain could be entitled to back pay for performing higher level duties for the past year without the official title.
“When someone does their job and does it well, I'm going to support them. And I'm going to stand by Mishelle,” Shortway said. “I'll be her biggest witness at the Department of Personel,” Shortway said.