Letter to town council

I am writing to ask you to reject the ordinance changing our part-time Mayor to a full-time position with a $140,000 salary plus an inflated pension, vacation, and health benefits based on his last three years of service. 

Voting on this consequential ordinance requires a more critical evaluation. All Council people who spoke on January 4th agreed they needed more support to justify this change. Councilperson DeStefano opened the matter by requesting a finance committee review; Councilperson Verano commented, "As they say, the devil is in the details," Council person Sasso asked for an ROI. Despite these questions, why did they allow the ordinance to advance without requiring the usually expected cost implications? Surprisingly, despite their many unanswered questions, the Town Council voted 6-3 to move forward with the ordinance. 

At the January 4th meeting, several speakers made recommendations that I support. 
1. The people elected a part-time Mayor one year ago. If the position was full-time, there might have been more candidates. Fran Ritter commented, "he knew it was part-time. Now he wants to change the terms of the deal". 
2. A small committee, behind closed doors, should not be responsible for setting job expectations for a full-time mayor in only two weeks, and determining the cost/benefit. Instead, including a citizen committee would provide valuable insights and more transparency. Others stated that the people of Wayne should vote on needing a full-time mayor. 
3. Kathy Kazan recommended adding a Deputy Mayor as a more cost-effective way to get additional focus on township matters.
4. "I won't introduce it, and I won't second it," said Council person Scurralli who has been on the council for 20 years.

Voicing public opinion is hard for many residents, so we rely on you to make a well-informed decision.

I appreciate your dedication as a Town council representative, and I respectfully ask for your NO vote so a thorough evaluation with public involvement can be conducted.