JACKSON – The Jackson Times received a packet of complaints filed in the past two weeks by municipal employees. Most of the complaints regard Council President Jennifer Kuhn who is currently serving as acting mayor.
Mayor Michael Reina resigned on September 23 and his temporary successor is to be chosen during tomorrow morning’s special council meeting. Until that time Kuhn is holding that role.
There has been friction between Kuhn and staff of the Code Enforcement Department. She has criticized that department’s work. Most of the complaints against Kuhn came from code enforcement employees, including its supervisor, Andrew Cheney.
Cheney, along with the other workers, called for Kuhn to resign or be removed from office stating in the complaint that “this would hopefully relieve some of the toxic work environment currently taking place within the township.” He accused her of constant harassment and releasing their private e-mails to the media.
Four other code enforcement officers made similar complaints of harassment, including GPS tracking on their township vehicles.
Resident Elenor Hannum also filed a lawsuit against the council president in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey that was filed on April 22. Hannum was removed from a meeting during the public comment period when Hannum brough up an alleged conflict of interest regarding a township employee.
Kuhn told The Jackson Times after that incident that Hannum was removed not for what she said but because “she was out of order” and refused to leave the microphone when asked. Hannum was escorted out of the meeting room after she finished her comments and returned to her seat in the audience.
Residents have five minutes to speak during township comment periods and Hannum maintained her time wasn’t up to speak at that time.
The complaints list issues of harassment, bullying, ordinance violations, abuse of power, false reports and police investigations being launched and a hostile work environment by Kuhn.
Police Chief Kunz also filed a complaint towards Kuhn. His complaint states that her prepared public statements were “disparaging me with false information, public attacks at council meetings on my job performance without a RICE notice.”
He added that “numerous e-mails to multiple people designed to harass, malign, bully, annoy and intimidate me.”
Listed in response to the response area asking if the complaint filer was afraid that someone may retaliate against them because of the complaint, Kunz stated, “yes, Council President Kuhn, she has already used her position to bully me through demands for “reports”, creating a position over me to drive me out.”
That was in reference to the council’s creation of a public safety director position that was filled by Joseph Candido who recently vacated the spot following a lawsuit that Kunz filed against the township that accused Candido of overstepping his authority which was found not to extend to disciplinary actions toward Chief Kunz.
“Ms. Kuhn does not have the temperament to serve in a leadership position in local government and should both apologize and resign,” the chief stated regarding the requested remedy for the complaint section.
Kuhn was contacted several times by The Jackson Times about the complaints but has not responded for comment. In an interview with New Jersey 101.5 Radio that also received the complaints she said “she wasn’t harassing anyone — she was looking for accountability and just wanted the code enforcement officers to do their jobs.”
She noted the township has 10 code enforcement officers which is twice as many as most surrounding communities. “We have code enforcement officers who are supposed to work 40-hour weeks, yet in a month (30 days), they have completed only three inspections. We have vehicles idling for almost two hours while code enforcement does nothing,” Kuhn said.
Things are also awkward in the Township Clerk’s office. Township Clerk Sandra Martin who was hired early this year has a complaint filed against her by her co-worker Deputy Municipal clerk Beth-Ellen Gencurelli.
That complaint states that on August 25, Gencurelli was asked a question and was told to put it in an e-mail. “She would not even look directly at me. I was informed that I will handling all after (council) meeting items, ‘it’s my job’ and the next day “she got annoyed I did not send e-mail out fast enough. Everyday there is something I have done wrong.”
The deputy clerk who was also hired earlier this year and performed Martin’s duties when she went out on maternity leave last spring stated “it will get awkward for my office” and asked “to be transferred to another department if possible.”
