The City of Jersey City will seek waivers for three top municipal officials to comply with local residency rules for directors and other key positions, sources familiar with the situation told HCV.
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By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Solomon, who was sworn in on January 15th along with the nine City Council members, has announced five department directors in the past month, with three already receiving approval from the governing body.
Out of those five, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose, Department of Health and Human Services Director Linda Ivory-Green, and Department of Public Works (DPW) Director James Leavy live outside of Jersey City live outside of the city.
“Applicants for employment as uniformed personnel seeking appointment on or after January 1, 2020 must have maintained a bona fide domicile in the City of Jersey City for at least two years prior to the date of their qualifying exam,” according to the city’s municipal code.
” … A majority of the full membership of the Municipal Council, at its discretion, for good cause shown, may authorize and permit an employee as defined herein to be domiciled outside the City of Jersey City.”
Further, The New Jersey First Act, established in September 2011, notes that employees who don’t live in New Jersey have 365 days to relocate, which would apply to Leavy, who lives in New York City but plans on moving to Jersey City, sources said.
Ambrose, who received council approval last month, Ivory-Green, who was named by Solomon earlier this month, has not received a council vote yet.
Both are expected to receive a waiver vote by the City Council, as is City Clerk Sean Gallagher, since they do not live in Jersey City.
Though tenured employees like Gallagher, a nearly 33-year city worker, are likely grandfathered in and therefore would not require reappointment.
The residency requirement, which also applies to the business administrator, CFO, deputy city clerk, tax assessor, tax collector, assistant municipal tax collector, and municipal judges, was approved via ordinance by the City Council in November 2018.
Jersey City spokesman Nathanial Styer, acknowledging that some residents have called for home-grown directors recently, said City Hall is proud to have selected leadership that are the most qualified during a difficult transition period.
“The Solomon Administration is proud to be putting together a team of highly-qualified leaders who can tackle the city’s fiscal crisis while improving city services. This is not an easy job, and we’ve cast a wide net to attract the best candidates – including home-grown talent like Director Linda Ivory-Green who has spent 30 years serving the city,” he said.
“We will ensure that all our director-level employees are in compliance with residency requirements based on the timelines laid out in the law.”