JERSEY SHORE - Borough council's search for a borough manager isn't over, but it's at least come to a temporary halt.
Council, by a vote of 7-0, hired Joseph Hamm, of Cogan Station, on an interim basis.
Hamm, who will earn $40,000 per year, fills a vacancy left with the firing earlier this spring of Gretchen Speicher.
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MIKE REUTHER/Sun-Gazette
Burt Francis, of 207 Wilson St., Jersey Shore, makes a point during Monday night’s Jersey Shore Borough Council meeting. Francis said he was “saddened” by the way the firing of former borough manager Gretchen Speicher was handled by council. He said he has not been able to get any answers from borough officials regarding the matter. Council later in the meeting voted to hire Joseph Hamm as borough manager on an interim basis. Hamm did not attend the meeting.
Hamm works as a sales assistant with Liberty Mutual Insurance, Montoursville, and holds a bachelor's degree in political science.
He was among some dozen candidates for the position.
John Pisarcik, a member of the borough's personnel committee, noted that among the applicants were two council members. He said a number of applicants lived out of the area.
Borough officials came under fire for releasing Speicher from her job and failing to give a reason for the firing.
Borough resident Burt Francis told council during the meeting he was saddened by the way the firing was handled by borough officials. He said he tried without success to get answers from Mayor Dennis Buttorff and council members.
Pisarcik made the motion to hire Hamm, which was seconded by Deborah Colocino.
Voting in favor were Pisarcik, Colocino, Sean Simcox, Kenneth Scheesley, Marguerite Dyroff, Janet Barnhart and Mary Greene.
Councilman Wade Snyder was absent.
In other personnel matters, council hired James M. Fulkrod for the highway department and Rick McAllister for the sewage treatment plant. Fulkrod will earn $13.31 per hour; McAllister will be paid $16.77 per hour.
Council approved the transfer of a liquor license from Porter Township to the borough. The license transfer came upon a request from Linda Fisher, who plans to open a restaurant at 680 Railroad St.
During a public hearing to consider the request, borough resident Lenore Pisarcik questioned the need for a liquor license. She said she felt that a nice restaurant can be established without serving liquor.
Scheesley noted that the site of the restaurant has been known to be a nuisance bar in the past, frequented by bikers.
Fisher said she already has conferred with local police and plans to keep troublemakers out of her business.
The license transfer must be approved by the state Liquor Control Board.
Independent Hose Co. President Dennis Kilpatrick approached council about considering an alternative way of allocating money between his fire department and Citizens Hose Co.
The two departments split the borough's fire allocations. However, 7.5 percent of Independent's funding goes toward money budgeted for an aerial fire truck.
Simcox suggested that funding perhaps could be determined by the number of calls made by each department.
Regarding police matters, Simcox told council that the Tiadaghton Valley Regional Police Department is down one police officer and looking to hire another one.
