HomeMy Public PortalAbout1999/02/25
A Special Meeting of the Mayor and Council of the Borough ofCarteret
was called to order by Mayor James A Failace at 6:00 P.M ., on
Thursday, February 25, 1999 at the Municipal Court/Police Facility, 230
Roosevelt Avenue, Carteret, New Jersey.
Upon individual roll call, the following were noted present:
Councilmember
Patrick Crilley
Jack Fazekas
Stanley Gutowski
James Mancuso
James O'Brien
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Also noted present was Borough Attorney Craig J. Coughlin.
The Clerk stated that on February 19, 1999, in full compliance with the
Open Public Meetings Act, a notice oftonight's meeting was sent to The
Home News Tribune, The Star Ledger and posted on the bulletin board.
To appoint a Police Director and any other business that may come before
the Council
Mayor Failace said we are here to make an appointment to the position of
Police Director. He turned the meeting over to Police Commissioner
Stanley Gutowski.
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Police Commissioner said about two years ago the previous Council took
an unenviable task, to reevaluate our Police Department. To see if they
were operating at peak efficiency. To see if there were any problems to
solve or things the Council could do to help them. They retained a
Special Prosecutor, Gary Stowell. who gave them a report on the Police
Department. In the report there were a lot of things cited as problems.
One of the things not cited in the department were the rank and file
personnel Many times he and Mr. Stowell have stated that they have
many fine police officers. There were problems noted in the
administration of the department. The way the department was run. The
direction our officers were given. When they undertook this task they
passed a new ordinance that included the position of Police Director.
FEBRUARY 25, 1999
SPECIAL MEETING
ROLL CALL
STATEMENT OF
MEETING NOTICE
PURPOSE
DISCUSSION
FEBRUARY 25, 1999
DISCUSSION
Continued
Police Commissioner Gutowski said at the time the ordinance was passed, we
stated that there was no indication that they would ever hire a Police Director.
The Chief, Mr. Sica, would probably be here forever. He didn't need to
explain what happened to Mr. Sica, they all know he retired. At that point
they undertook the monumental search for a person to fill the Director's
position. They could have easily given it to someone from the local area, but
we didn't do that. They could have given it to a political hatchet man, as
people have said To pay back a political favor to some politician from
Woodbridge. It was never their intention to do that. They set out to find the
best person. A person that they felt would do the best job in the department.
They advertised locally, statewide and nationally. Initially they received
responses from 48 candidates. They went through the resumes and cut it
down to 24. They sent out very comprehensive questionnaires. They wanted
to know every little detail of their lives. Most of them filled it out and some
ofthem didn't, so they were eliminated at that point. They narrowed it down
to the top five candidates. They met with them. They made sure of who they
wanted to bring in here and made sure they knew what they were up against,
what was expected of them and why we wanted a Police Director. We
wanted someone who would be answerable to the Council and the Mayor. If
the people felt he wasn't doing the job, they could come to the Council with
their opinions. It would be very tough to remove a Police Chief. There were
three or four very good candidates. The one they settled on, they believe, is
the right person for the job.
Police Commissioner Gutowski said he would give a little bit of the
gentleman's background He is a policeman. Has always been a policeman
rrom the time he was 17. He started out as a Junior Detective. By the age of
17 he was working as a Crime Scene Investigator. At the age of 20 he was
a patrolman At 25, a Sergeant and at 31 a Lieutenant. At the same time he
was promoted to Lieutenant he was promoted to Captain. The next was
Chief and he still holds the rank of Chief in the department he works for.
While selving as a policeman he took it upon himself to go to law school and
completed his law degree. Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Master of
Science in Criminal Justice and Juris Doctorate. 4.0 Grade Averages. He
took the Florida Bar, 1,080 take the bar and he finishes Number One. It's a
resume that knocks his socks off. He is a licensed emergency medical
technician. He is Director of Public Safety in the town he is working for. He
has vast experience He was appointed by Attorney General Janet Reno to
work on a Task Force for the federal government. There were 30 people in
the entire United States that were selected to do that. It was a task force on
Missing Children. At the same time he was a Police Captain, in his former
jurisdiction, he served as the Prosecutor at the same time. He is a man of
many talents He belongs to the P.B.A. and the F.O.P. He believes he will be
sympathetic to the causes here and what goes on. He spoke about his training
It's amazing to him that someone with these qualification fell into his lap. Was
born and educated in New Jersey, than moved to Florida. He is a member of
the International Association of Police Chiefs, Washington Association of
Police Chiefs; Florida (inaudible); Florida Law Enforcement Officers, the list
goes on and on He is a licensed lawyer in the states of Florida and Colorado.
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."i\\¡,_
Police Commissioner Gutowski said he sat face to face with this
gentleman for four hours and has talked continuously on the phone for the
last two weeks and he expressed a great interest in the job. He has the
experience to handle it and will bring leadership to this community.
Leadership for everyone He plans to seek input from the officers and the
community. He said there is no need for radical change. They are not
hiring a hatchet man They are not hiring someone to come in and clean
house. That has been done by the people who are no longer here.
We have a gentleman who has been acting as Chief of Police, who retired
yesterday. He thanked Deputy Police Chief Hack for filling the shoes of
the two people who were here before him He did a lot better job. The
morale in the department is a lot better since Mr. Hack took over. He
wished him well in his retirement. He will be here to lend his guidance
and any information he could possibly share with the new director and he
would do it for no pay. That show's the kind of guy Mike is.
This gentleman is what he feels this borough needs. Leadership is lacking
here. They are not bad guys, they just lacked leadership for the last 12
years. This gentleman retrains police officers on the job. This man will
do the job they want him to do. He has to do the best job he is capable of
doing. He comes to us rrom the State of Washington, by way of the State
of Florida. His name is William Elfo No one on this Council met him
before he was an applicant and he does owe them a thing. He said he
wanted to place the name of William Elfo as the next Police Director of
Carteret.
Mayor Failace said they had five or six excellent Candidates and Mr. Elfo
was right up there. He received a call from Mr. Elfo that his wife was
rushed to the hospital for an emergency heart operation. We told him to
take care of that and wished his wife a speedy recovery. Today Mr. Elfo
called him and told him that the problem with his wife is much graver.
Mr. Elfo will not be here to start on March 1st. We have a signed
contract with Mr. Elfo, but because of the situation with his wife, our
prayers go out to his family. He is going to ask the Council to table the
resolution, because they are not exactly sure what Mr. Elfo's position will
be until he finds out the extent of his wife's problem. It's very difficult and
devastating to say that. We are not going to hold Mr. Elfo to the signed
contract, but allow him to take care of his needs at home. He will be a
real asset to Carteret.
Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Crilley and Fazekas and unanimous
affirmative vote of the five (5) Councilmembers present, the meeting was
opened for public input on Resolution #99-83.
JAMES HOJECKI said the Police Department extends their sympathies
and hopes everything works out with his wife.
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Mayor Failace said they told Mr. Elfo that was their main concern.
FEBRUARY 25, 1999
DISCUSSION
Continued
MEETING OPENED
Public Input
On Resolution
FEBRUARY 25, 1999
Public Input
On Resolution
Continued
~IEETING CLOSED
RESOLUTION #99-83
Appointing Police
Director
TABLED
Comments
ADJOURNED
LOUIS MANGIERI asked how old Mr. Elfo was?
Mayor Failace said he was 43 years old
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN asked if Mr. Elfo was going to live in the
Borough?
Council President Gutowski said Mr. Elfo has been to local real estate agents.
Mayor Failace said Mr. Elfo was here two weeks ago looking. They are not
forcing him to live in town, but they would like him to stay in the general area
There being no further comments or discussion on Resolution #99-83, upon
MMS&C, by Councilmembers Crilley and Fazekas and unanimous affirmative
vote of the five (5) Councilmembers, the meeting was closed.
RESOLUTION #99-83 was introduced by the Mayor and was referred to the
Council for action.
Upon MMS&C,by Council members Crilley and Fazekas
RESOLUTION #99-83
"APPOINTMENT TO THE POSITION OF POLICE DIRECTOR
IN THE BOROUGH OF CARTERET"
was tabled. Upon individual roll call vote, Councilmembers Crilley, Fazekas,
Gutowski, Mancuso and O'Brien voted in the affirmative. Councilmember
Quinones was noted absent.
Mayor Failace asked everyone to keep Mr. Elfo in their prayers. He is a good
man and he will be an asset to this town.
There being no further discussion or business, upon MMS&C, by
Councilmembers Crilley and Fazekas and unanimous affirmative vote of the
five (5) Councilmembers present, the meeting was adjourned at approximately
6:22 PM.
~ub:itted'
Á . ~~/
KATHLEEN M. BARNEY,"-../
Municipal Clerk
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KMB/sj
A Special Meeting was held by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of
Carteret on February 25, 1999, 622 PM., Municipal Court, Police Facility,
230 Roosevelt Avenue, Carteret, New Jersey.
The following were noted present:
Mayor James A Failace
Councilmember Crilley
" Fazekas
" Gutowski
" Mancuso
" O'Brien
Noted absent was Councilmember Remy Quinones
Also noted present was Borough Attorney Craig Coughlin
The Clerk stated that on February 19, 1999, in full compliance with the Open
Public Meeting Act, a notice of tonight's meeting was sent to the Home News
Tribune, The Star Ledger and posted on the Bulletin Board.
To appoint a Police Director and any other business that may come before the
Council.
Mayor Failace said, we are here to appoint a Police Director and I would like
to turn this meeting over to Stanley Gutowski, the Police Commissioner.
1.
Police Commissioner, Stanley Gutowski, thanked the Mayor and said about
two years ago, the previous Council undertook the task to evaluate our Police
Department to see if they were operating at peak et1ìciency and if there were
any problems that we could solve and we could do to help them. We
retained an Attorney, a Special Prosecutor, and that is Gary Stowell. He gave
us a report on our Police Department. In that report there were lots of things
sighted as problems in the department. One of the things that wasn't cited was
the rank and file, the personnel Many times Mr. Stowell has stated that we
have a very good police officers. There wasn't a problem with our rank and
file, but, there were problems with the administration of the department, the
way the department was run and the direction our ot1ìcers were given. When
we undertook this task we passed a new Ordinance. In that Ordinance, it
included the position of a civilian Police Director. At the time we passed the
Ordinance, there was no indication that we would ever hire a Police Director,
that Chief Joseph Sica would be here forever. When Chief Sica retired we
FEBRUARY 25, 1999
SPECIAL
MEETING
PRESENT
STATEMENT
OF MEETING
NOTICE
PURPOSE OF MEETING
RE: POLICE DIRECTOR
DISCUSSION
FEBRUARY 25, 1999
DISCUSSION
(Con't)
undertook a monumental search for a person to fill his position. We could
have easily given it to someone from the local area, that we knew, but we
didn't do that. We could have given it to a "Political Hatchet Man", as people
have said, to pay back political tàvors, we did not do that. It was never our
intention to do that. We set out to find the best person and when I say
person, it could have been a man or a woman, that we felt could do the best
job for the department. We advertised locally, statewide, and nationally.
Initially. we received responses rrom forty-eight candidates from all over the
country We went through their resumes, we managed to cut it down to the
top twenty-four. We sent out questioners. We wanted to know every little
detail of their lives We searched through them with the help ofMr. Stowell
and the Police Committee and we managed to narrow it down to what we
thought were the top five (5) candidates. We met them face to face, we
talked to them on the phone. I dealt with most of it. We brought some of
them in and we made sure of who we wanted to bring in here. We made
them aware of what they were up against and what was expected of them.
We wanted a Police Director who could be answerable to us as a Council and
to the Mayor and to the people of this town. not someone that if they did
something wrong, you had to charge them administratively and go through
that whole process and basically create very hard feelings. If the people felt
he wasn't doing a good job then the people of this town could come and say
he/she isn't doing their job. There were three (3) or four (4) very good
candidates and the one we settled on, at this point, we believe is the best
person for the job and I would like to give you a little bit of his background,
he is a policeman and has always been a policeman, from the time he was
seventeen (17) years old. He started out as a junior detective. By the age of
seventeen he was working as a crime scene investigator. At the age of 20, he
was working as a patrolman. At 25 he was sergeant, at 31 he was a lieutenant.
At the same time he was a lieutenant he was promoted to Captain.. At this
point in time he holds the rank of chief in the department that he works for.
While he was serving as a policeman, he took it upon himself to go to law
school and complete his law de¡''Tee. He has a Bachelor of of Science, Master
of Science in criminal justice and a Jurist Doctorate with a 4.0 grade average.
He took the Bar in Florida, 1,280 applicants take the Bar He finished # I. He
is a licensed Emergency Management Technician and he knows the problems
we have here in town with ambulance services. He is the Director of Public
Safety in the town he works in. He was appointed by Janet Reno to work on
a Task Force for the Federal Government, he was one of 30 people in the
entire United States that were selected to do that. The Task Force was for
Missing Children. At the same time he was a police captain in his former
jurisdiction but he worked as the proseutor in a different state. He belongs
not only to the PBA but to the FOP. His training consist of the FBI, North
West Law Enforcement Second Command College, Washington Criminal
Justice Training, Commission National Center for Missing Children, FBI Law
Institute. He was born in New Jersey and he moved to Florida with his
parents. He is a member of the International Association Chief of Police,
Washington Associated Chief of Police, Florida Associated Police Order and
a licensed lawyer in the state of Florida and in Colorado. I sat face to face
with this gentleman for four hours and spoke to him on the phone
continuously for three weeks. He expressed a great interest in this job and
he has the experience and the leadership qualities to bring to our Community.
We have a gentleman who has been acting as the Chief of Police and as of
yesterday, he retired I'd like to thank him for filling the shoes of two people.
I know the moral of the department is better since Mr. Hack took over and
I wish him well in his retirement. He will be here to lend a hand with the New
2.
Director and he said he would do it for no pay. I told him I wanted to pay
him and he insisted that he did not want to be paid. This gentleman is what
this Borough needs He trains Policemen that are on the job. The laws have
changed and they had to try to keep up by themselves. They shouldn't have
to, they should have someone here who does it for them. They should be out
doing their jobs, not worrying about the administrative part. So, I think this
man can do the job we want him to do He his here for one purpose, to do the
best job he is capable of doing. He comes to us rrom the State of
Washington. His name is WilJiam Eltà. Again, we owe no political tàvors to
this gentleman. He came through the system just like the rest of us did, just
like the other 48 applicants. It just so happens that the police committee
thought he was the best qualified man for the job. No one on the Council
knows him, no one on this Council met him before. I recommend to the
Council that the name WilJiam Elfo be placed on that Resolution. He will be
the next Police Director of the Borough of Carteret.
Mayor Failace stated that before we go on to the Resolution, you heard the
credentials ofMr Elfo. He is a fine candidate I will tell you this, that we had
five (5) or six (6) excellent candidates. He was the cream of the crop.
Yesterday I received a call from Mr. Elfo (he is not here this evening) telling
me his wife was rushed to the hospital for emergency heart surgery. We wish
her welt and a speedy recovery. Today Mr. Elfo called me and said that the
problem with his wife is much greater than they realized. Mr. Eltà is not here.
He was to start on March 1st. I have a signed contract here for Mr. Elfo.
Because of the problems Mr. Elfo is having with his wife right now, our
prayers go out to him, his wife and his family. I'm going to ask this Council
to table this resolution. We're not exactly sure what Mr Elfo position will
be until he finds out the extent of his wife's illness We'll talk to Mr. Elfo over
the next two weeks to find out what he wants to do. We have a signed
contract rrom him but the humane thing to do would be to not hold Mr. Elfo
to this contract right at this moment. We will allow him to take care of his
needs at home. He is a good man. I've spoken to him many times He will be
a real asset to Carteret.
Upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers Crilley and Fazekas and unanimous
affirmative vote of the (5) members present, the Mayor declared that the
meeting was opened for public input on the Resolution.
RESOLUTION #99-83 was introduced by the Mayor and was referred to the
Council for action.
Upon MMS&C, by Coutlcilmembers Crilley and Fazekas
3
RESOLUTION #99-83
" APPOINTMENT TO THE POSITION OF POLICE DIRECTOR
IN THE BOROUGH OF CARTERET"
FEBRUARY 25, 1999
DISCUSSICtiI
(Can't)
RESOLUTICtiI 199-83
APPO:;:NJflEN]' TO
"''HE POSITICtiI OF
POLICE DIRI:C'lœ
IN THE B(R()UGH OF
CAR'i'ERET
FEBRUARY 25. 1999
RESOLl1rICN 199-83
WAS TABLED
PUBLIC
DISCUSSICN
PUBLIC HEARING
CLOSED
was so introduced and tabled by Councilmembers Crilley and Fazekas. Upon
individual roll call vote, Councilmembers Crilley, Fazekas, Gutowski,
Mancuso and O'Brien voted to table the Resolution.
Lieutenant James V. Hojecki said that the Police Department would like to
offer their sympathies to Mr. Elfo and his family.
Mayor Failace said that it is a tragic thing that happened to his wife. That is
Mr. Elfo main concern. We will deal with whatever we have to deal with after
he makes his decision and everything goes well. That is all we care about.
Someone from the audience asked the age ofMr. Elfo. Mayor Failace said
that he is 43 years old. That is why he said he would like to be with us for 25
years or so. The Mayor asked if there were any other questions.
A lady in the audience asked ifMr. Elfo would live in the Borough
Council President Gutowski said that Mr. Elfo has been to local real estate
agents and that is all he could tell her at this point in time.
Mayor Failace said that Mr. Elfo was here two weeks ago looking in Carteret
and Woodbridge. We're asking him to stay in the area. We wouldn't want
him in North Jersey or anything like that.
Council President Gutowski said he received a telephone call last week from
a real estate agent who said that he heard that we had a new Director and he
was looking for a house.
The Mayor said that Mr. Elfo is a good man. He will be a great asset to this
Community. He asked that we keep Mr. Elfo and his wife in our prayers.
There being no further comments or objections to the Resolution, the Mayor
declared the Public Hearing to be closed upon MMS&C, by Councilmembers
Crilley and Fazekas and the unanimous affirmative vote of the (5) members
present.
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There being no further business or discussion, upon MMS&C, by
Councilmembers Crilley and Fazekas and unanimous at1ìrmative vote of the
(5) membership present, the meeting was adjourned at approximately 6:20
P.M.
Respectfully Submitted,
~I! £:2J/SfJ;tA-:1'Lé '/
'KATHLEEN M BARNEY, C:::::V. .',
Municipal Clerk
KMB/apm
5
FEBRUARY 25, 1999
AOOOORNED
FEBRUARY 22, 1999
SPECIAL
MEETING
6.