Mayor says rec. director 'thinks he's autonomous' Says Ust should report to administrator like other dept. heads BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer SAYREVILLE - Mayor Kennedy O'Brien cited concerns this week with anomalies in the borough's corporate structure and chain of command, specifically with regard to the director of recreation, Gerald Ust. During Monday's meeting, the same night he raised concerns about the roles and salary of the borough's public works director, he said there is an "ongoing conflict" in the operation of the town's recreation department. "The [recreation] director feels that he is autonomous and he answers directly to the governing body," O'Brien said. The borough's general ordinance on the matter reads as follows: "The Department of Recreation is under the sole direction and supervision of the department head, which will be designated as the director of recreation." Under the subject of the director's responsibilities, the ordinance states that he "shall be directly responsible to the mayor and Borough Council. The director shall work closely with all departments and employees of the borough." O'Brien said the borough's ordinances should provide for the same structure in the case of the recreation director as it does for other department heads.He added that this would make for less ambiguity and a more transparent process, so that "the chain of command is clear." O'Brien asked the borough attorney to clarify any irregularities or oversights in borough ordinances so that they clearly state that the business administrator is the individual to whom the department heads should report. "Everyone answers to the B.A. [business administrator]," the Republicanmayor said. "The B.A. answers to the governing body." Borough Councilwoman Kathy Makowski, a Democrat, then suggested that the governing body take another look at the role of the business administrator, adding that she is not sure that he "rules law." O'Brien said the council managed the various departments approximately 20 years ago and that it was a chaotic "disaster" that ultimately led to the implementation of what he referred to as the "B.A. structure." He said this is smoother and is in the best interests of borough taxpayers. "We can always regress," O'Brien said. Makowski said she would like to consider alternatives, as other municipalities perform in different ways than the one O'Brien favors. O'Brien then referred to Ust as a "political godchild," a name he had also called the public works director during the same meeting. He argued that the recreation director should answer directly to the business administrator. "The police chief answers to the B.A., but this godchild will answer directly to us," O'Brien said. Makowski said O'Brien was mischaracterizing the Democrats' intentions. She added that the governing body should seek feedback from all the department heads before directing the attorney to clarify the ordinances. O'Brien again cautioned the council about moving ahead with structuring departments so that they report directly to the governing body. He told the Suburban later that consulting the department heads on the chain of command is similar to asking an employee who he or she would like to have as a boss. "It's contrary to any known and practiced business process," O'Brien said. Democratic Borough Council President Dennis Grobelny told the Suburban that Ust has done an exemplary job for the borough as director of recreation. He added that he attends the majority of recreation events in the borough. Ust declined to comment publicly regarding the issues discussed by the mayor.