O.B. council to repeal retirement ordinance

So, it wasn’t exactly the first action they took after taking control of Old Bridge government.

But three meetings into 2012, the now- Republican-controlled Township Council placed last year’s hotly contested early retirement ordinance back on the agenda — this time for repeal.

The council voted 7-0 for the repeal on first reading on Jan. 23, with Councilman Bob Volkert abstaining and Councilman Rich Greene absent. If approved on second reading, the controversial ordinance, which allows township employees to retire with lifetime benefits after 15 years of service in Old Bridge, as long as they have 10 years with another public agency, would be taken off the books.

The repeal would require employees to have 25 years of service in Old Bridge in order to retire, as was required before the ordinance was adopted by what was then a Democratic-controlled council last May. “It was going to add a lot of cost to the township,” said Republican council President Brian Cahill. “To be consistent with where the rest of the state is going with Gov. [Chris] Christie’s mandate of reducing taxes and reducing benefits, that’s the reason we are repealing it.”

The retirement ordinance became a major campaign issue during last year’s election, with Democrats claiming that the change to 15 years would help save the township money and avoid layoffs by eliminating highlevel salaries from the payroll. Republicans charged it would cost the township millions of dollars that it simply can’t afford.

The ordinance also became the subject of two lawsuits filed by the Old Bridge Republicans. One sought to place a referendum repealing the lawon the election ballot, but that was dismissed by a Monmouth County judge. The other charged that the law should be struck down because Councilman Bob Volkert should have abstained in voting on the ordinance due to what the Republicans said was a conflict of interest. The second lawsuit is still pending in Monmouth County Superior court, but the names of council members have been removed as plaintiffs so that they can still vote to repeal the ordinance. Dr. Anita Greenberg, chairwoman of the Old Bridge Republican Party, is still listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

After the ordinance is repealed, the court is expected to render a decision or dismiss the case .

Councilman Dr. James Anderson, a Republican, said the repeal is part of a fulfillment of the Republicans’campaign promises and what they were sent into government to do.

“I think the people were obviously tired of things being done that didn’t benefit the town and only benefited a few people,” Anderson said. “We got elected by a landslide in a sweep, and it’s a mandate to make changes.”

Democratic Councilman G. Kevin Calogera, one of the five council members who originally voted in support of the ordinance, said that the idea behind the change was good, but there was a misunderstanding about it in the public. Yet as a representative of the people, many of whom have come out against the change, Calogera said he must do what residents feel is in their best interest.

“There was good intention, but when the public doesn’t want something, we are there to represent the public,” Calogera said. “So I will once again be voting to repeal it.”

The council is expected to vote on second reading of the repeal during its next meeting, scheduled for Feb. 6.

Contact Chris Zawistowski at czawistowski@gmnews.com.