Mayor calls DPWhead underworked, overpaid Council Dems defend official, but give him additional title BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer Sayreville officials engaged in a politically charged debate regarding a longtime department head's role and salary level at borough hall Monday night. The dispute, centering on Public Works Director Bernie Bailey, came about after Democratic Council President Dennis Grobelny made a motion to appoint Bailey as joint insurance fund commissioner. Republican Mayor Kennedy O'Brien said that from a management perspective, appointing Bailey to the commissioner role "makes no sense," as the liaison should be intimately familiar with claims in order to carry out the responsibility. "I am adamantly opposed to the director of public works being the liaison to the joint insurance fund," O'Brien said. Appointing Bailey to the position would amount to giving him "a free lunch," the mayor said, alluding to Bailey being able to take time off during the day from his position in public works to go to monthly meetings as joint insurance fund commissioner. But Democratic Councilwoman Kathy Makowski said Bailey is the ideal candidate for the task, since he has received Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) training. Grobelny said he is concerned that Borough Business Administrator Jeffry Bertrand would not have enough time to perform his duties as business administrator and joint insurance fund commissioner, a role he filled until last year. "There are so many things that haven't been finished, and the list just grows and grows, because he is so busy,"Grobelny later said of Bertrand. "I'mnot saying it's because he's not doing his job, but there are a lot of things not finished." Bertrand, who was O'Brien's choice for the unpaid position, said he only has OSHA training in certain areas. However, he said that business administrators are best suited for the task of joint insurance fund commissioner, since the office interacts with people whomake insurance claims and seek workers' compensation on a regular basis. "It is not as smooth of an operation in this format," Bertrand said in regard to someone other than the business administrator fulfilling the responsibilities. Makowski stressed the importance of OSHA compliance, since the borough faces hefty fines if it does not comply. She disagreedwithO'Brien's contention that a conflict of interest exists in appointing Bailey to the position. "I don't really see the conflict here," Makowski said. O'Brien said Bailey makes approximately $125,000 per year in his tenured public works position with the borough. He said the position requires a 35-hour workweek, along with 16 personal and sick days and 13 holidays. "OurDPWdirector is the highest paid for a town this size," O'Brien said. The mayor said Bailey had been operating a nearby bar and restaurant in recent yearswhile also serving asDPWdirector for Sayreville. "How does one manage both?" O'Brien asked rhetorically. Democratic Councilman Stanley Drwal rebutted, saying that tens of thousands of government employees throughout the state with businesses on the side could be asked the same question. Drwal also noted that other borough employees work more than one job to make ends meet, and this kind of criticism "clouds the whole discussion." O'Brien described Bailey as a "very overpaid and underworked department head" and as a "political godchild." He also criticized Bailey's qualifications for the role of joint insurance fund commissioner, saying that he lacks insurance training. Bailey could not be reached for comment for this story. Grobelny said Bailey is well educated, andMakowski said that ifO'Brien feels that Bailey is overpaid, then giving the director an additional responsibilitywould only benefit the borough. The council ultimately approved the appointment. Resident Robert Foley addressed the governing body during the public portion of themeeting, saying that while he has no allegiance to Bailey, he thinks that O'Brien's statements about himwere "slanderous."He added that if Bailey's pay is high, than it is the fault of the borough, and not that of the public works director. "We took a position and perpetuated it," Foley said. O'Brien told the Suburban later that Bailey's salary shouldwarrant his full attention on the tasks he has as a borough department head. "I would like his full proactive attention to this job," the mayor said. "Because of the extraordinarily high salary that he gets, for him to engage in other business activity, I think is insulting to the taxpayers of Sayreville." Grobelny said later that Bailey started out as joint insurance fund commissioner last year, when the all-Democratic council had control. He said O'Brien's concerns about Bailey's pay should be addressed when his contract is negotiated.He also said themayor's claimthat Bailey has a 35-hour workweek in the borough is misleading. "When there is snowremoval or an emergency, he isn't getting overtime," Grobelny said. "That is his job as a department head … Mr. Bailey was hired quite a few years ago, and he has only gotten the raises that any normal department directorwould have gotten." Resident Nellie Malet walked out of the meeting as the council debated Bailey's appointment. She later told the Suburban that a conflict of interest existswith Bailey being a department head and joint insurance fund commissioner. "This would mean that all of the department heads would have to account to him, including his own department," Malet said. She said she has been attending council meetings since 1989, and that partisan politics has been a fixture through the years. She added that this year is no exception. "I was very, very upset," Malet said. "I had to get up and leave, because Iwas afraid I was going to blurt something out."