Professional jobs put out for bid by Howell officials
BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR.
Staff Writer

HOWELL - According to Mayor Joseph DiBella, for the past two years the township has maintained an open process to hire its professionals (attorneys, engineers, planners, etc.) - despite what some local politicians have claimed.

One of those politicians, Councilman Robert Walsh, said even though the process is open, "there's a catch - you have to be involved with campaigns."

Recently, the township purchased advertising space in a newspaper and posted documents on its Internet Web site for its annual professional services solicitation.

Howell is seeking to fill 30 professional service positions.

The positions to be filled are: township attorney, utility attorney, municipal prosecutor, alternate municipal prosecutor, public defender, tax foreclosure attorney, tax appeal attorney, planner for affordable housing matters, affordable housing attorney, township auditor, bond counsel, labor attorney.

Also, Rent Control Board attorney, utility engineer, community design consultant, township planner, consulting engineer, certified tree expert, wireless telecommunications consultant, environmental consulting services, surveying services, appraisal services, management consulting/recruiting services, architectural services.

And, Zoning Board of Adjustment attorney, Zoning Board of Adjustment engineer, Zoning Board of Adjustment planner, Planning Board attorney, Planning Board engineer and Planning Board planner.

Submission packages may be obtained at the Howell purchasing office or at the Web site www.twp.howell.nj.us.

At the Nov. 21 Township Council meeting, DiBella, Walsh and Council-man Juan Malave asked Township Manager Thomas Czerniecki to postpone the 11:30 a.m. Nov. 27 deadline for submission packages in order to gather more applications.

Czerniecki investigated the legality of doing so and found there to be no problem with the council's request. As such, the deadline for professionals to submit their information to the township has been moved to Dec. 4.

The information packages are expected to be reviewed at a Dec. 12 public meeting at 7 p.m. in the council chambers.

DiBella said an ethics reform bill which he wrote was passed in 2004 and enabled the open process to take place.

During the recent campaign for three seats on the council, debate was sparked involving the hiring of township professionals.

The Independence for Howell ticket (Angela Dalton, Michael Howell and Walsh), which ultimately won three seats and will take control of the council in January, said during the campaign that they would push for an open process free from party politics.

DiBella reiterated that the process already exists.

"We review all of the bids during a special meeting on television," he said. "We eliminate any possibility of someone being appointed just because of who they know."

Walsh, however, said professional positions in Howell often go to campaign contributors, despite the open process.

"Now it is going to be totally open to any professionals," he said. "Republi-cans, Democrats, unaffiliated, donors, whatever. We just don't care. We will just try to get the best price and best work done for the town."

Regardless of past hiring decisions - even if they were not made for campaign contributors - Walsh said, "We want everybody to know it is open. We have made no decisions as to who will be hired. It's open tryouts."