TRENTON — The city is keeping secret the findings of an $25,000 investigation into a dispute between the deputy clerk and a councilwoman, but two council members say the report uncovered instances of intimidation, harassment and misconduct in the clerk’s office.
Last year, the city hired an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation into complaints Deputy Clerk Cordelia Staton and Councilwoman-at-Large Phyllis Holly-Ward made about each other.
The findings of the report have not been released and city spokesman Michael Walker says it is a personnel matter that cannot be made public.
Even council members have not received copies of the report — the administration instead requiring them to review it in City Hall under the supervision of city officials.
But Holly-Ward and Muschal say the report cost taxpayers $25,000 and they have a right to know.
“It’s a bad report and I understand why they don’t want people to see it,” Holly-Ward said.
She and Muschal say the results of the investigation clear her of any wrongdoing, but point to Staton as the problem.
The report, they said, mentions instances of intimidation and threats, tampering and unauthorized payments.
“We’ve got to deal with it,” Holly-Ward said. “It’s different when you’re talking about hearsay, but you’ve got to deal with facts. … It revealed more than any of us thought — none of knew any of this stuff was going on in this office.”
City Council will vote Thursday night on whether to accept 30-page report and executive summary.
Staton was also scheduled to appear before council after receiving a Rice notice over the report’s findings, but City Clerk Richard Kachmar said the hearing has been postponed to a later date per her attorney’s request.
Rice notices are required by state law when a public employee’s employment will be discussed in closed session. Staton has the right to request a public hearing, but it was not immediately known what she planned to do.
She was out sick on Thursday and her attorney did not respond to a message seeking comment.
The clerk’s office is officially under council’s authority and Holly-Ward said action needs to be taken to protect the staff against the “hostile” work environment.
“It’s pretty much out of control and it’s up to us as the elected body to do something about it,” she said. “Our responsibility is that if either one of them (Kachmar or Staton) is doing things that are inappropriate, we have to address it.”
Muschal on Monday sent a memo to his colleagues recommending that Staton be removed from her position as deputy clerk and be transferred elsewhere in the city.
“Upon reviewing the facts and speaking to all of the current personnel in the clerk’s office and the city clerk, regarding this matter, I feel it is totally necessary for the removal of Ms. Staton from the clerk’s office to begin functioning properly again,” he wrote.
Holly-Ward said that although the report stemmed from a dispute that escalated between her and Staton last spring, “the reality is this has been going on for six years.”
Staton, who served on council from 2002 to 2010, was hired as deputy clerk in June 2010 then fired just two months later by then-new Mayor Tony Mack. She was rehired in September 2012, but another issue arose in 2014 when the city learned that she had been overpaid for two years — making $65,000 instead of $57,636. Though her salary was reset, she was not required to pay back the extra salary she had been collecting.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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