By Doug Miller
City Manager - Small seaside city, population approx. 36,000 (50,000 in summer), 20 miles from NYC, governed by a Council/Manager form of gov't that combines the leadership of elected officials with the administrative and managerial expertise of an appointed, professionally trained local gov't manager. Masters degree in gov't related field with prior experience in policing at an executive level. Pls US mail your confidential resume with email address, cover ltr & list of 5 professional references by February 28, 2006 to: Hon. Leonard G. Remo, City Council President, City Hall, 1 W. Chester St., Long Beach, NY 11561.
Nineteen days after City Manager John Laffey took the oath of office, his job was formally advertised, though he insisted he's not leaving his new $137,000 position anytime soon.
Laffey explained that since he is retired from the New York City Police Department and collects a pension based on his 31 years of service, in order to keep collecting that full pension, he can not accept another job within the New York State Civil Service Commission without what is called a Section 211 waiver. Without the waiver, he is not permitted to earn more than $27,000 per year without forfeiting 75 percent of the pension. When Laffey served as Long Beach police commissioner, he received the waiver.
But he can not get the waiver unless he can show he was hired after a thorough job search and demonstrate he was the only qualified candidate for the job, which he said this ad was intended to prove.
The Republicans on the City Council have maintained that there never was a search, that Laffey was offered the job without being interviewed, and that by placing the ad after Laffey was on the job, the new administration was attempting to circumvent state pension regulations.
Councilmen Tom Sofield and Jim Hennessy challenged Laffey's appointment on the day he was sworn in, Jan. 3, grilling Democratic council President Leonard Remo as to the length and breadth of the search. Remo sheepishly stated there hadn't been a search, and that there hadn't been the need for one, since he had settled on Laffey as a city manager sometime after the election.
"This is a sham," said Hennessy on Wednesday. "The ad is clearly tailored to suit Laffey and his background in policing. What about the other issues? What about [city] planning? Why didn't they look for anyone with any planning experience?"
Parenthetically, another ad ran in The Times that week looking for a police commissioner. The current commissioner, Tom Sofield Sr., has served as acting commissioner since March 17, 2004, when he replaced Laffey.
Sofield, whose civil service position is as a detective lieutenant, becomes eligible to retire when he turns 62 in October, and Laffey said the ad was just a way of beginnng the process of looking for someone permanent. Major crime in the city has been dramatically reduced since Sofield took over, in large part thanks to the scores of felony drug arrests the department has made in the past nine months, and Laffey acknowledged he was happy to keep Sofield on until October, and that if his replacement was found before then, that person could serve as an assistant commissioner to get his or her feet wet.
"If [Sofield] is looking to stay on past that time, he will be invited to submit a resume and be part of the search process," Laffey said.
Comments about this story? DMiller@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
