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Ewing puts off layoffs - Township w orkers get a 30-day reprieve

Published: Thursday, August 12, 2010, 9:28 AM Updated: Thursday, August 12, 2010, 9:30 AM

David Karas

EWING - Mayor Jack Ball announced last night that he will postpone the impending Aug. 18 layoffs of 21 township employees for

30 days, pending a community meeting and a special meeting with the Township Council.

The purpose of the meetings will be to discuss the possible sale of the Hollowbrook Community Center, a move that could raise

enough money to plug a budget deficit and make the layoffs unnecessary.

Shouts and applause broke out among those gathered at township hall as Ball shook hands with Council President Joseph Murphy

to solidify their agreement, reached during the council meeting.

"We have 30 days to keep working," Ball said. "I'm very pleased. The whole idea was to find out if I had any support from council."

Ball said he will gauge the public's interest in selling the Hollowbrook property during the next mayor's meeting, which will be held

at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Hollowbrook. After that, he will meet with the council to discuss possible approval of the sale.

"We're glad that (the postponement is) happening," said Ewing Police Lt. Edward DeAngelo, president of the Superior Officers

Association, one of Ewing's two police unions.

Six police officers were among the 21 employees scheduled to be laid off, several of whom were at the meeting last night.

DeAngelo said he hopes the temporary postponement of the layoffs will become permanent.

Earlier in the meeting, Ball said he would postpone the layoffs if council would give him immediate permission to sell Hollowbrook,

but the council didn't support that idea.

Ultimately, the council decided that after the mayor meets with the public, council members will hold a special meeting with him to

consider granting permission for the Hollowbrook sale.

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Councilwoman Kathleen Wollert expressed her disapproval that Ball had made the last-minute offer to postpone the layoffs during

the meeting, which essentially put the decision on the council, when the responsibility legally falls completely with the mayor, who

makes all personnel decisions for the township.

"I feel that this presentation by the mayor is a disgrace," she said.

After council adjourned, Wollert said she is happy for those who will still have a job, at least for the next 30 days, but she added

her hope that Ball "follows his own advice in looking for the best solution to this problem."

However, Councilman Bert Steinmann said he felt the decision to postpone the layoffs was "premature." He explained that,

although the value of Hollowbrook had been assessed at $2.2 million, there is no guarantee that the township will get that much

for it.

"The bottom line is that we have no budget," Steinmann said.

The announcement about postponing the layoffs came just over a week after the township's two police unions, PBA Local 111 and

the Superior Officers Association, filed a lawsuit against the township, asking the courts to issue an injunction to halt the layoffs for

90 days to allow the township time to provide economic justification for the layoffs.

Responding to the lawsuit yesterday, Ewing officials contended that the state Civil Service Commission should decide the matter,

not the courts, and in fact the commission had already approved the layoff plan.

An opposition brief filed with Mercer County Superior Court yesterday by township attorney Dave Kenny argues that the court is

not the right place for such a challenge.

"The Plaintiffs (the unions) have failed to exhaust administrative remedies and this court should not intervene," the township says.

Oral arguments on a possible 90-day injunction to halt the layoffs for the six police officers are scheduled to be heard at 2 p.m.

Tuesday, when Mercer County Assignment Judge Linda Feinberg is expected to decide whether to grant the temporary relief.

Attorney Merrick Limsky, who is representing the two police unions, said in a phone interview yesterday that the PBA doesn't have

the collective right to appeal to the Civil Service Commission. Officers would have to appeal the layoffs individually, he said.

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"It is our position that any reduction in the police force will ultimately have an irreparable harm on the citizens and the other

members of the department as far as safety goes," Limsky said. He also said he is not sure how the township can justify layoffs

after recently announcing a budget surplus.

David Karas can be reached at (609) 989-5731, or dkaras@njtimes.com.

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