This Ocean County mayor has how many public jobs?

Oct. 01--OCEAN GATE -- Mayor Paul J. Kennedy is in trouble with the state for serving in four paid positions within the municipal government he presides over, including the role of acting borough administrator.

Kennedy also receives public salaries for his roles as the town's acting personnel director, acting coordinator for the Americans with Disabilities Act and acting insurance administrator, according to Borough Clerk Ileana Vazquez-Gallipoli. First elected mayor in 2006, Kennedy receives no salary for that job. The mayor is seeking a third term this November.

For all these offices, Kennedy, 59, a Republican, will receive an annual salary this year of $50,000 from the taxpayers of Ocean Gate. In addition to his municipal duties, Kennedy is also a full-time employee in Ocean County's government where he receives about $40,000 as a carpenter in the Building and Grounds Department, according to public records.

Now all of these hats the mayor is wearing have come to the attention of the state Local Finance Board, which in July fined the mayor a total of $700 for violating the local government ethics law.

According to the notice dated July 28 but received by the borough last month, the state contends that there is a potential for a conflict of interest "and a reasonable expectation that his judgment could be impaired in the exercise of his official duties in either or both positions." The state also noted that the jobs were never publicly advertised, another violation of state statute, and cited the mayor for failing to identify his sources of public income on financial disclosure forms in 2012 and 2013, instead listing himself as self-employed. The state also noted that Kennedy appears to be serving in the unpaid role of public works director too, which borough officials have since confirmed is true.

The mayor, however, has appealed the fine and decision of the state Local Finance Board.

"Mayor Kennedy has requested an administrative hearing," said Tammori C. Petty, director of communications for the state Department of Community Affairs. "The matter will be referred to Office of Administrative Law. The DCA will not comment on matters that are in litigation."

Although Kennedy also serves in the unpaid official position of public information officer for Ocean Gate, he did not return a call from a reporter seeking comment.

Councilman Chris A. Theodos, 57, a Democrat, who is challenging Kennedy for mayor in November and who has been on the council less than one year, said what he finds particularly disturbing is that Kennedy failed to inform anyone about his notice of violation in July. Instead, he just continued to go on serving in these positions as if nothing had ever happened.

The council was only informed when the state Department of Community Affairs notified the council about the violations earlier this month, Theodos said.

"It's very disturbing it was withheld from the public and the council members, even though (the notice of violation) occurred several months ago and he continues to draw a salary," Theodos said. "I'm going to be calling on him to make restitution for the money he has taken to date, which amounts to about $100,000."

Theodos said some of the appointed positions Kennedy is serving in are already duplicated by other paid professionals at Borough Hall. Moreover, the mayor has no formal qualifications for some of these positions, the councilman said.

Borough Attorney James A. Gluck said Kennedy was appointed to his current administrative positions by the Borough Council and that the mayor agreed to take the position as long as he was compensated for his work, which the governing body agreed was appropriate.

As legal counsel for the municipal government, Gluck also signed off on the appointments.

For the extra work which began in 2013, Kennedy was paid a salary of about in 2013 and that amount has been increased to $50,000 for 2014, Gluck said.

Gluck said the mayor was able to save the borough upwards of $100,000 each year if those positions had been filled by individual professionals.

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Erik Larsen: 732-557-5709 or [email protected]

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