It’s been reported that Patricia Hannigan, the chair of the Downtown Westfield Corporation’s board of directors, said she had no further comment regarding Cronin’s departure beyond a prepared press release.
Cronin’s success representing downtown business owners has some questioning the circumstances surrounding her departure.
 |
| Former DWC Executive Director Sherry Cronin |
The very fact that Ms. Cronin did not announce her own separation from the DWC screams that it was necessary to negotiate the terms of her being fired. I have no doubt that a confidentiality clause to the severence will be the refuge of the administration which was going to bring Westfield transparency in government. That's the same administration that gave us transparency in the departure of Mr. Wayman and is presently mired in the duplicity of the Public Works theft of time.
ReplyDeleteThe search for Ms. Cronin's replacement must have been quick. The job seems to now be split between a member of the Town Council and a volunteer aide to the Mayor.
Cronin worked for the DWC, not the mayor. Where do you get this idea she was fired and the mayor held the hammer?
DeleteFirings don't include negotiations.
ReplyDeleteTell that to Dave Wayman. How about every sudden retirement in the past twenty years in Westfield. Each negotiated with the Town requiring a non-disclosure clause. Westfield has been in the habit of avoiding open warfare with employees it wants to fire. The Town doesn't want the airing of any dirty laundry so each of the disputes are sent to the Town attorneys to negotiate what the fired employee wants to keep quiet .
ReplyDeleteRemember Wayman needed the approval of the Town that he was in "good standing" before he could get his pension. Does one need a bigger item to convince a cop to stay mute?
It wasn't the firing being negotiated. The Mayor did that. It was the silence that needed negotiations. Do you think the Town wanted everyone to know that the Mayor wanted Cronin out so she could get a paying job for her volunteer and install a council woman as the substitutes?
IF there had been anything other than a firing, then why didn't Ms.Cronin and the Mayor make a joint appearance and statement? That would have required acting on a major level.
Not true. My retirement 12 years ago did not have a non-disclosure agreement. I would never agree to that with the corrupt administration led by Jim Gildea.
DeleteMrs. Cronin did in fact announce her departure, on her personal FB page. And the DWC page also included her announcement. Many have commented on these two FB pages how her work was so appreciated, including business owners and residents. No mention of this on the Town FB page, I believe?
ReplyDeleteMrs. Cronin did announce her departure on her personal FB page. And the DWC posted on their FB page. Many business owners and residents commented on how appreciated her work was. The Town has made no announcement, at least as best I can tell.
ReplyDeleteNeither commenter above mentioned Ms.Cronin's description of her departure from her 18 year position.There is no doubt she did many good things. She deserved to be treated better. Unfortunately,either she displeased the Mayor or needed to be removed to make way for the Mayor's chosen replacements. Any intimation this administration is not run by politicians is absurd. If any member of the public is looking for the "openness and transparency" promised by candidates, don't look in Westfield. Election to office seems to grant absolution from all inconvenient campaign promises.
ReplyDeleteWatch now for the creation of a committee to search for Ms.Cronin's replacement. Wait for the sudden realization that Ms.Cronin's job should be divided into two parts : executive director (Dawn) and Redevelopment (Liz).
Ms.Bridle will "sincerely"announce a "consensus" that the division should be made and the above two ladies are the choice after an exhaustive search.( Please keep in mind that we now will have two salaries that will probably exceed Ms.Cronin's.)
When you think about it, is there any difference in the MANNER in which either the Republicans or Democrats act in government?
The above got it spot on. Two people; two salaries; and the Mayor gets a paid position for her two besties — Dawn and Liz. How’s that for “transparency?” What a joke! Except it’s not as Westfield lost a hard worker who knows the ins and outs of this town. Just ridiculous!
DeleteYou’re making a lot of assumptions.
DeleteI’m just playing off of the assumptions of someone else in the post above mine. Will see how this all plays out, sadly!
DeleteI can confirm that this is going to happen
DeleteIt's a fact that Dems like bigger government. The recent influx of New Yorkers, etc into town is changing the dynamic. Face it, Westfield is going blue. Leave now and beat the tax increase to pay for all of the "needs"...
ReplyDeleteTax increase?
DeleteI’ve lived in town 47 years, 25 as a homeowner and this year, under the Brindle administration, my taxes are going down after the re-evaluation and the town council keeping taxes in check.
Conservation permit price went down. New DPW equipment purchased including street sweepers, trucks, etc. and surplus not needed to keep the tax increase down like under Skibitsky.
It’s a win all the way around.
How's that Trump $10K real estate tax limit working out for you here in town??? Just FYI...The revaluation is a shell game. It's designed to be a wash. Keep an eye on the spending by our friends in Elizabeth as well. You might want to take off the rose colored glasses...And I'm a resident over 40 years also!
DeleteDWC has a special meeting on 8/26 at 7:30pm. It’s an executive session so this should be the main topic, I’m guessing.
ReplyDeleteDWC board is comprised of 9 members. Mayor, Jim Gildea, Dawn Mackey, 2 residents, 2 property owners and 2 store owners. 7 of the 9 vote. Mayor and Jim Gildea are non voting members. In a nut shell, everyone voted to 86 Shelley. Unanimous. She was thanked for her service and sent on her way with a nice severance package. A new replacement is currently being sought. There’s a lot of misinformation out there. One of them is the Dwc is solely funded by business property owners, not the town. Some of Andy’s Dandy’s are posing as operatives on Facebook to argue otherwise and spread misinformation. This is all fabrication. An election is soon so the operatives are working overtime. If you have further questions about the situation please reply and ask and when I have time I will respond to them.
ReplyDeleteHow do you know what the vote was?! There are no meeting minutes for this, or if there are, kindly post photos of them. And how do you know she got a “nice severance package?” Many are saying she got none. So post the documents that prove this. Otherwise, you are simply spreading rumors...or misinformation as you call it.
DeleteWhere is your information from?
ReplyDeleteHow much of Westfield tax dollars offset the DWC’s operating budget?
What was the severance?
I’m very distraught over this news. I sit in Mindowaskin Park crying about this everyday. Sherry was the only person that ever listened to me or at least I thought she did? Stay out of my park Kasko!
ReplyDeleteOr maybe this is Greg’s frienemy Rory posting as someone else? Be careful, he’ll block you on FB.
DeleteWhat’s a frienemy?
DeleteBased on the above comment- so Greg Kasko is now taking on fake profiles to post on his own blog? Shameful!
ReplyDeleteNo need for a fake profile. I use The Fact of The Matter on this blog.
DeleteAlso, if I were to impersonate someone, at least I would spell their name right.
Thanks for your comment and enjoy the blog.
Then, I guess it’’s Rory as the anonymous poster here as he doesn’t seem to know how to correctly spell her name on the WF Uncensored FB page that you’re the admin for either. He’s good at blocking people and then posting about them. Shameful!
DeleteDebbie I would be very interested in becoming Chief of Mindowaskin Park. All I would need is a small team of officers and my military surplus vehicles back. I could keep the wrong doers away and make sure everyone stays of the grass. For this I would need the small salary of $190,000 and a budget of 3 million for the year. I also would like to be able to go back to the Atlantic City conventions and would require a suite for my stay.
ReplyDeleteHugs and Kisses,
Zod
Only if you agree to put more birdhouses up and a little house for the ducks and gooses. And you'll have to keep my park, I mean keep our park clean and push a broom at my discretion. Can I go to AC with you? I promise of I lose $100 I will not complain, I promise.
ReplyDeleteWill the sexatary be joining you in AC? She loves to drive the hummer in the snow. Almost as much as Zod loves driving the pickup with the plow when he’s not hitting parked cars and lying about it in a report. Leo looks miserable at work these days. Have you seen him lately? Lost a lot of weight, grey hair, keeps to himself. What a fall from grace. On the fast track to Captain until he wrote that fateful report and got caught in lies.
DeleteI will bring Raeann and Tango with me. We will ride down on Mr. Westfield's moped. Yes , Leo looks weathered.
Delete18 years is a long time and downtown has stagnated. Change is good.
ReplyDeleteWhy does everyone say that the Mayor tried to get Ms.Cronin to resign and then negotiated a severance package through the Town Attorney and the Lindebury office? It will be interesting to read how the Town fires the executive head of a separate corporation when the Mayor is "only" a non-voting member of the Corporation's board of Directors. I like the usual claim that an "exhaustive search" will be conducted to find a replacement. The search must have been exhausting because everyone says Ms.Mackey will be given the title ,and salary, of executive director and Ms.Jeffries will be dubbed Redevelopment with an additional salary. The exhaustive search not only came up with two locals, they both are good friends of the Mayor. It's amazing how these exhaustive searches result in finding candidates right under one's nose.
ReplyDeleteThe executive meeting of the DWC will take place next week. I'm sure all the directors who can vote will be told to approve the actions of their non-voting member already done in their name. I hope at least one of them will ask how and why the "at-will" employee is given a severance package and why the Town, devoted to transparency, requires or signs a confidentiality agreement and an agreement that neither side will "disparage" the other.
One of the Republicans might ask who authorized the severance contact and who signed for the DWC.
Lots of creative story telling.
DeleteZero Credibility.
The DWC just issued a press release after its illegal meeting last night which confirmed the appointment of an interim director.
ReplyDeleteYears ago the DWC and the Leader fought over the public status of the DWC. Back then it agreed it was public and bound by the Public Records Act, etc. So there is no way the DWC didn't know it was illegal to meet and bar the press and the public. They knew that this would be the first time they would learn from their non-voting member how and why she fired the previous executive director and what her plans were to replace her with Ms. Mackey and Ms. Jeffries. Obviously "true confessions" are done in private, no matter what the Law says.
How can the "standard bearer" of transparency flaunt the Law as she has done. Has she so neutered the Republicans that she can rule by fiat without comments from the alleged opposition?
Does the Town Attorney have any input into the manner of government?
Silence is so dangerous.
So I guess the prediction made about Dawn and Liz places all the other information by Anonymous into the rumor category.
DeleteAny other bold predictions? How many hurricanes will Westfield face this year? How many snow days? What about election results?
Rumor has it that Tamaques Park will become a wildlife refuge, the Rialto will be transformed into an immigration detention center, and Westfield High School is relocating to the Lord & Taylor property in 2 years.
Munch on that.
Can you explain the public body known as the DWC holding a meeting and barring the press and public?
ReplyDeleteWhere is there any indication that Dawn and Liz are NOT in line for the jobs of executive director and Redevelopment? Please don't forget that we still must go through an "exhaustive" search before the clouds part and the "perfect candidates" are found on our front steps.
You also forget the perceived need to have an interim director who can point out the "need" to create the position of "Redevelopment". You wouldn't want anyone to think that was the plan all along.
Please remember the appearance that the "NON-voting" member of the DWC Board of Directors is not running the whole thing MUST be maintained.
I don’t need to explain anything, you seem to have that under control with your assumptions and suppositions.
ReplyDeleteYou make the designation of assumptions and supposition. Let's wait and see what transpires.
ReplyDeleteYou also make your comments, not as a denial, but as an attack on the person reporting.You denigrate the report, ignore the impropriety of the PRIVATE meeting of a public body but never point to any FACT to contradict the assertions.
There are rules and regulations surrounding Public Meetings. They were created to stop the backroom dealings of power brokers. Those who run for office always applaud these rules requiring openness and transparency until they are elected.
When you have a pliant Council and a mute opposition, you can do much by orders and edicts.
Let's see.
It would seem that you know something else that the rest of us don’t. Or you’re pretending to know something to stir controversy.
ReplyDeleteHow about you address the Mayor and DWC with your opinions, assumptions, suppositions, accusations and such?
The reality is that the mayor sits on the DWC board now. And irregardless of the fact that she is a nonvoting member, she has influence on the board based upon her position on it. So this is how it will play out – – Kathleen Miller Prunty who manages the Raritan Valley Line Mayors Alliance for the one seat ride and is a friend of the Mayor will either be elected in November or not. If she is elected, my assumption is that she wouldn't be able to continue to serve as the director of the DWC because her efforts on behalf of Westfield would be in conflict with her elected role for Cranford. This opens the door for the Mayors friends Liz and/or Dawn. If Kathleen is not elected in November, she will be named permanent director. Either way, the mayor gets one of her friends into the position that she wanted them in all along. Of course that's after a national exhaustive search where we found the perfect candidate right in our backyard. Tick, tick, tick. Only time will tell!
ReplyDeleteKathleen Miller Prunty is running for elected office?
ReplyDeleteYes. Check out the Brian Andrews & Kathleen Miller Prunty for Cranford Facebook page.
ReplyDeleteWOW! These FACTS are certainly making my "assumptions and suppositions" look better and better.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know if I am not correct that the PRIVATE meeting of the DWC was illegal? Since our elected officials seem to have forgotten about openness and transparency, did the Town Attorney do anything to inform the DDWC that its meeting must be open and advertised?
If one is appointed to a public position during an illegal meeting, is the appointment legal? Has the Lady from Cranford entered into a conspiracy to violate the Municipal Laws of NJ?
Has Westfield spawned a new Mayor Hague or Boss Wilentz?
Time will tell.
Whoa!!!!!!!
DeleteYou are incorrect.
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteIs a District Management Corporation a public or private entity in the eyes of the State?
The debate regarding the public vs. private status of District Management Corporations assigned by municipal ordinance under (NJSA 40:55-65) has been an ongoing question across New Jersey for many years. Public record of the New Jersey Supreme Court’s opinion stated that Improvement Districts (BIDs, SIDs, DIDs) are an attempt to achieve privately what municipal government has struggled unsuccessfully to do alone as noted in the following cases: Second Roc-Jersey Associates v. Town of Morristown, 158 N.J. 581 (1999). See also Gonzalez v. Borough of Freehold (A-3476-92T2, June 30, 1994).
NJ DCA’s Division of Local Government Services has assured our office that the State’s Deputy Attorney General’s (DAG’s) office of the State of New Jersey has not rendered an opinion on the question of whether or not all or some District Management Corporations should be considered public or private for several years. As such there is no additional clarity from the State with regard to this issue at this time. Please note that once a DAG decision is rendered, however, our offices will promote that outcome to all interested stakeholders, and update this section accordingly.
As such, we recommend that the District Management Corporation, even to the extent that it wholly predates it’s assignment by ordinance as the DMC for the Improvement District and that it may have a fully incorporated State and Federal status as its own private non-profit organization, seek to meet the spirit of public entity polices such as the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) and Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA). In other words, the DMC should expect that others will seek to hold it accountable as a public entity and prepare accordingly.
Interesting read on a related matter:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.tapinto.net/towns/roselle-roselle-park/sections/government/articles/roselle-park-mayor-releases-statement-on-reasons-for-removal-of-economic-development-position
Interesting editorial commentary on this in the 9/5/19 edition of the Leader, page 5. Title is “DWCs poor transparency in hiring of interim director”
ReplyDeleteWe have ideas from the public that we’re sent to member of our team to make Downtown better.
ReplyDelete