Consider résumés for interim post

The time is drawing near when the five members of the Jackson Township Council will have to name someone to the position of interim mayor.

Mayor Mark Seda, who became Jackson's first directly elected mayor when the municipality switched its form of government in 2006, has said that he will resign from office on Oct. 17.

So how do the council members go about picking a person to follow Seda in office? The person who is named interim mayor will serve until mid-November 2009 and will be responsible for preparing Jackson's 2009 budget, among other responsibilities.

An article in the Tri-Town News last week quoted two council members who are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to selecting an interim mayor.

Council President Michael Kafton, who has said he wants to be named to the position, wants individuals who are interested in being appointed as the interim mayor to submit a résumé to the council.

Councilman Michael Reina, who was Kafton's running mate in the May municipal election, says the law does not provide for résumés to be submitted and says he will only consider a member of the council for the appointment.

We have not heard the views of council members Anne Updegrave, Scott Martin or Bobbie Rivere. It will take three votes from the council to appoint an interim mayor.

Kafton and Reina offered the following reasons for their point of view:

Kafton believes that examining a candidate's résumé will allow the council members to appoint a person with the experience needed to run a town of more than 50,000 residents.

It is no coincidence, of course, that Kafton's résumé will be loaded with accomplishments. He served on the previous Township Committee, is a member of the current Township Council, and he has been involved in numerous community service efforts in Jackson over a number of years.

Reina said an individual's résumé has nothing to do with the appointment of an interim mayor. He said only someone who has already been elected to the council by voters deserves to be put in charge of Jackson, which is, in effect, a multimillion dollar business.

Reina is a good man and we respect his opinion, but in this instance we believe it makes sense to see a résumé from anyone who wants to be considered for the appointment as interim mayor.

Jackson residents elected the five members of the council and should have enough faith in them to pick the person they believe is most qualified to do the job, regardless of whether that individual is already an elected official.

And what of Seda? A cynic might wonder if pressure from Republican poohbahs caused him to step down from his position after two difficult years so that the party may recover by the 2010 municipal election. A cynic might also wonder if Seda will eventually end up with a nice Ocean County position in return for walking away from his $29,500 job as Jackson's mayor.