Saying he has finished everything he set out to do, Anthony Iacono resigned his position as a member of the Board of Health two weeks ago, but accepted an appointment to the Planning Board, thus retaining nine positions – paid and non-paid – in Secaucus municipal government.
The Board of Health accepted the resignation at its Sept. 17 meeting.
Mayor Dennis Elwell appointed Iacono to the Planning Board, saying that other professionals like the Department of Public Works superintendent and the town engineer could not serve, and that the board needed to have a municipal officer serving.
Iacono serves as the town’s Equal Opportunity Officer, the town’s representative to the Hudson County Regional Health squad, the complaint officer for the Americans with Disabilities Act, a commissioner on the Secaucus Municipal Utilities Authority, the town consumer affairs director, the public employees complaint officer, a volunteer firefighter, and the full-time town administrator. On Sept. 25, he was appointed to the newly formed Recreation Advisory Committee, a non-paid position. Iacono also holds a part-time private sector job at the Meadowlands Sports Complex.
The administrator job pays a full-time salary ($81,000), and the consumer affairs job pays a stipend ($5,000). Iacono also gets a small stipend (up to $1,200) for the fire department, varying based on the number of fires he responds to. He also receives various payments to cover educational and certification classes he takes.
Although most of the positions are unpaid, they do increase the power Iacono has in town.
Iacono said he is well qualified for the variety of positions that he holds, claiming that in some cases he is the only qualified candidate in town.
"I’m the only town employee certified by the state to be an Equal Opportunity Officer," Iacono said, noting that this position fits in perfectly with his role as the public employees’ complaint officer.
Iacono took on the responsibility as the consumer affairs director two years ago after the post had been vacant for nearly five years. The position was vacated when the previous administration fired former town attorney Michael Bukatman in 1995. Although former 1st Ward Councilman Michael Lari applied for the job, the Town Council awarded the position to Iacono.
"It was a cost-saving move," Iacono said. "Mike Lari wanted $10,000 a year to do the job. I do it for half that."
Lari, however, complained bitterly about the appointment at the time, claiming that the fact that he was passed over was politically motivated. Lari had made plans to run for Town Council against the Democratic majority.
While Board of Education member Tom Troyer and others have questioned Iacono’s ability to perform all of these jobs efficiently, Iacono said he neglects nothing.
"As a volunteer firefighter, I’m one that can respond in the middle of the night," he said. "Between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., I have a 95 percent response record."
Iacono has volunteered on the Secaucus Municipal Utilities Authority board since moving to Secaucus seven years ago, four years before he was hired as the town administrator.
"That was my first opportunity as a resident of Secaucus to serve in a civic board," he said. "Mayor [Anthony] Just asked me to serve, so I did."
But critics, including Just, say Iacono has become a controlling force in the town, using these positions to build a base of power that is not subject to public election.
"He has the key to everything that goes on in Town Hall," Just said recently.
Iacono does not dispute being part of major changes in the town, saying he was "at the right place at the right time." He said looking back over his seven years of service, he realized that he had come onto the SMUA and took a leadership role in helping to address one of the larger issues in Secaucus.
"I think I have had a very positive impact," he said. "Not only have did I take a lead in helping to end a decade-long lawsuit that was costing taxpayers $40,000 a month, but I’ve also been instrumental in helping to lease our assets, which could give our community as much as $4 million in additional revenues."
Iacono said he is also a state certified Chief Financial Officer, making him an asset in dealing with municipal finance and budget preparation.
"The state requires each municipality have one such officer," he said.
In resigning his position on the Board of Health, Iacono said he had been asked to serve by the former administration to help privatize the board.
"As a result of what we’ve done, the taxpayer has saved more than $1 million in salaries," he said.
Iacono said he also agreed to resign because another resident in town, Katherine McFarlane, expressed an interest in serving on the board.
"Since someone else wanted to volunteer, I had no problem in stepping down," Iacono said.
McFarlane, who ran for Board of Education earlier this year, was named to the post at the Sept. 24 council meeting.
Critics like Tom Troyer agree with former Mayor Just and are particularly skeptical of Iacono’s numerous roles, claiming these multiple jobs have a political function as well as a municipal function.
Iacono has been accused of orchestrating the forced retirement of former fire official George Heflich and former Health Officer Richard Manney, both of whom were considered political opponents to the administration then in power. Iacono said his role was to reshape departments that were no longer economically sound and to reduce costs to the taxpayers.
Although Iacono has resigned the Board of Health, his appointment to the Planning Board puts him once more in a key position at a critical time.
"I think his role on the Planning Board may have something to do with the fact that the town is about to see numerous new construction projects," Troyer said. "The town itself may be seeking to sell several parcels of town-owned land."
Indeed, the Planning Board would play a key role in a possible $15 million school construction project currently before the school board’s Building and Grounds Committee. The bond that would help finance the project could be presented for a public vote early next year. The project would include the expansion of the Middle School-High School complex as well as the construction of an auditorium. The Planning Board would have to approve such a project.