Roselle Park resident Paul Devito was hired as an apprentice operator for the Department of Public Works (DPW) at Thursday night’s Mayor & Council meeting through Resolution 239-17.
Mr. Devito was appointed unanimously by council out of 11 applications that were received. Before the vote, Third Ward Councilman William Fahoury stated he had a concern that Mr. Devito listed two sitting councilmen – Second Ward Councilman Joseph Petrosky and Fourth Ward Councilman Michael Connelly – as references in his resume. They were two out of the three references listed. Councilman Fahoury stated that his concern was not with Mr. Devito’s qualifications but in the appearance of having a member of the governing body who would vote for an employee be a reference for the applicant. Councilman Fahoury voted yes to hire Mr. Devito as did councilmen Petrosky and Connelly – neither of whom abstained. The borough attorney was asked to look into the matter for future application processes.
Mr. Devito is scheduled to start in his new position on September 25th at a salary of $64,394.92 a year, as set forth by the collective bargaining agreement between the municipality and the RP DPW employees contract (Local 2326).