In what appears to be a massive restructuring of municipal government, Business Administrator Peter Cresci and City Law Director Jay Coffey have been removed from their positions with the city of Bayonne.
The move came the first business day after the City Council named Terrence Ruane to fill the seat vacated by Anthony Chiappone.
Coffey and City Clerk Robert Sloan apparently gave legal opinions to the council prior to a May 6 council meeting that kept Mayor Mark Smith from casting the deciding vote for Ruane. After Smith promised to take the matter to court, City Council President Vincent Lo Re changed his vote, and called for another special meeting on May 9 to allow Ruane to be voted in.
Councilman Gary La Pelusa, who also voted for a candidate other than Ruane, said he was guided by Coffey’s advice in the matter. La Pelusa, however, said Coffey had previously given the council advice that had also proven unsound.
Although the exact reasons for Cresci’s removal are unclear, he was well known for his hard-nosed positions regarding city regulations, and had angered many inside the government for his strict interpretations of city ordinances.
Joseph Ryan, spokesperson for Mayor Smith, confirmed that the two are departing.
“The process is still ongoing,” he said.
Coffey, who has worked for the city for 18 years, said he had received a 20-day notice of removal. While he has the right to appeal to the City Council, he said this was not his style.
“The mayor has an agenda he wants to push, and he has someone he wants in my spot to help him accomplish it,” Coffey said, noting that he has served under six mayors and that the staff of the Law Department has become like family to him.
“Mark [Smith] is a good friend of mine and I’ve known him for 35 years,” he said. “I don’t want to stand in his way. It is pretty clear what his objectives are and he has put a lot on the line, giving up half his salary to become mayor.”
While he said this came as something of a shock, Coffey is philosophical about the matter.
“When I came here in 1990, I thought the job would be temporary. Now 18 1/2 years later, I’m leaving as law department director,” he said. “I grew up in this town, I’ve worked with good people like (then City Council president) Joe Monkowski, who was like a second father to me.” – AS
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