Civil Service Commission upholds layoffs of two Vernon employees
By Nathan Mayberg
VERNON — Two former Vernon Township employees who were laid off in 2011, lost their appeal to the New Jersey Civil Service Commission to be reinstated.
The commission upheld an August ruling by an administrative law judge saying the layoffs of former Department of Public Safety employees William Hendrickson and Thomas Van Gorder, were done for reasons of economy and efficiency.
The initial decision by administrative law judge Tiffany Williams was rendered on Aug. 5 while the commission, under chairman Robert Czech, affirmed the ruling on Oct. 1.
Hendrickson and Van Gorder lost their jobs in Oct. 2011.
Van Gorder had been a part-time fire prevention specialist and fire official for Vernon while serving as a full-time firefighter in Englewood, according to court papers. Hendrickson was a part-time fire prevention specialist and full-time administrative secretary for Vernon.
Van Gorder testified that he was told by Mayor Victor Marotta, who came into office that year, that his job was being terminated and that a full-time fire official was being hired to replace him.
In her decision, Williams concluded that Vernon had failed to follow proper layoff procedures initially but said she did not find evidence of "bad faith" on the part of the township's administration and mayor.
Hendrickson and Van Gorder had testified that they had suffered no personal animosity from Marotta, though Hendrickson had called business administrator Gerald Giaimis "disrespectful and rude," according to the ruling by Williams.
Marotta responded to the ruling by saying "it's pretty clear the court and the civil service commission" agreed that the town "terminated their employment for economic and efficiency" reasons.
"That is allowed under the law," Marotta said.
Marotta appointed David Tynan Jr. as fire marshal in 2011 to replace Hendrickson and Van Gorder. Tynan resigned earlier this year after pleading guilty to charges of falsifying time sheets in Hackettstown and Washington in Warren County, where he worked part-time as a fire inspector and fire marshal. Tynan resigned his position in Vernon as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.
In July, Luis Tosto was appointed to replace Tynan as fire marshal for the town at a salary of $55,000.