SADDLE BROOK

Saddle Brook councilman, forced by nepotism rule to resign in June, is running again

Deena Yellin
NorthJersey

A Saddle Brook councilman who was forced to resign because of an anti-nepotism ordinance — one that he helped to enact — now wants his seat back. 

Joseph Camilleri stepped down in June after his son applied for a job with the police force because, under the newly adopted anti-nepotism ordinance, an immediate relative of a council member cannot be hired to a municipal position.

At the time, Camilleri's decision to step aside for his son drew praise. But Camilleri, 57, was bitter after leaving his post.

Joseph Camilleri resigned from the Saddle Brook Township Council after his son became a candidate for a Police Department job.

"I grew up here. I went to school here. I spent my whole life here," said Camilleri, a longtime volunteer with the town recreation leagues who served on the council for over four years and was its president. In the end, the ordinance "came back to bite me."

The council replaced him with former Board of Education President David Gierek, 47, a middle school teacher for the past 21 years and a former program director of the Boys & Girls Club.   

Under the ordinance, modeled after policies in towns including Montvale, Washington Township, Fair Lawn, Bogota, Tenafly, Bergenfield and Maywood, it is prohibited for the immediate relatives of elected officials to seek municipal employment, said Mayor Bob White of Saddle Brook. "However, if the relative was hired prior to the elected official taking office, the employee would be grandfathered in."

Saddle Brook Councilman David Gierek.

When Camilleri discovered that his son, Joseph Jr., was being considered for a job with the Saddle Brook Police Department, he resigned, as the ordinance required. The 23-year-old Pace University graduate was sworn in in July along with four other new hires. When pressed about his father's resignation, Joseph Jr. told a reporter, "I believe in the rule of law." Camilleri said he was glad to make a sacrifice for his son and wondered what other parent wouldn't do the same thing. 

Joseph Camilleri Jr. was sworn in as a Saddle Brook police officer in July, and his father, Councilman Joseph Camilleri Sr., in orange T-shirt, had to resign because of an anti-nepotism ordinance.

Now he appears to be having second thoughts. He's campaigning to get his seat back and intends to run as an independent in the November election. 

"Everyone I run into has been asking me to run," he said. "They loved having me up there and felt comfortable with me being honest." 

He and Gierek, a Democrat, will face off for the three-year seat.

Not everyone is enamored of Camilleri's quest.

Although he is legally permitted to run, "I feel that the spirit of the anti-nepotism ordinance is being violated," said White. "This was deceptive on his part." 

Having Camilleri on the council could pose ethical dilemmas, said White. "He will have to recuse himself from anything concerning the Police Department," And in three years, when his son is eligible for a promotion, that will be a potential problem, too, White said. "He's in a position of influence. There's pressure that people will feel to do favors for him."

Council President Karen D'Arminio agreed. When Camilleri's son applied for a job with the police, Camilleri did the right thing by resigning, she said. "Now, I'm disappointed."  

It would be better if Camilleri waited a few years before running for reelection, she said. "Dave is qualified and was on the Board of Education. He will do a good job." 

Even so, Gierek, who now holds Camilleri's seat, believes that council members should be held to a higher standard.

"Joseph voted for the anti-nepotism ordinance," he said. "What he's doing now is unethical."

Gierek said his agenda includes maintaining property taxes by drawing new businesses to town. He also hopes to expand recreation and senior programs.

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But he predicts that the election will be a referendum on the anti-nepotism ordinance. "What happens if someone wants their child to get a job in the DPW and they drop off the council temporarily and then run again for their seat?" Gierek asked. "This is not in the spirit of the ordinance."  

Camilleri said there's nothing in the ordinance that prevents him from running.

"The mayor actually said at the time [in June] that I could re-run in November. Now they all shift gears," he said. "I have learned how dirty politics can be. But there's this thing that drives me to do what's right." 

He said that if elected he'll work on expanding recreational programs, getting county relief for residents in the flood zone, and making progress on infrastructure projects. 

Camilleri agreed that he will recuse himself on any matters pertaining to the police, and he pointed out that the council does not do any hiring or firing of personnel.  

"I feel he deceived the council by resigning to make sure his son got the job, and now he's using a loophole to get his council seat back," White said, adding that he has nothing personal against Camilleri. "We will let the voters decide what is right and what is just."