At a special meeting held on Jan. 22, the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority appointed Chris Patella to replace Joseph Nichols as the executive director.
Patella, who currently serves as counsel to the City Council, will take his new post as of Feb 2 at a salary of $125,000 a year.
Nichols, who served for just over one year, will continue as the city’s tax assessor, although will also remain with the BLRA as part of a transition period to help Patella adjust to his new duties.
Some members of the public were concerned because Patella served as Mayor Mark Smith’s campaign manager during the special election in 2008. Members of the BLRA’s personnel committee said they had interviewed Patella extensively and believe he would fill the job,20despite the obvious political nature of the appointment.
“The mayor has the right to select the person he wants for the job,” said Councilman Ted Connolly, one of the members of the committee. “Let’s face it; all appointments of this kind are political to some degree.”