SERA director expected to resign; become judge Corman has worked on redevelopment projects for five years BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer As Sayreville's redevelopment agency works towards an agreement on its largest project, it will likely lose its chief administrator. Randy Corman, who became the first executive director of the Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency (SERA) five years ago, is expected to leave the position to become a judge. The state Senate nominated Corman last week to serve as a workers' compensation judge, and is expected to soon vote on his confirmation. Corman was appointed as SERA's executive director in March 2006 for a salary of $89,500. He has since led the effort to redevelop the 400-plus-acre former National Lead (NL) site, the former Krome property and other locations in the borough. SERA Commissioner Michael D'Addio said Tuesday that he had learned that Corman was appointed as a judge. "It's something he has wanted for a long time, so we are wishing him the best of luck," D'Addio said. "He's been a great asset to SERA, but it's a promotion for him," he added. While SERA does not have to have an executive director, D'Addio said it will likely issue a request for proposals to fill the vacancy, since the National Lead redevelopment will require further supervision as it progresses through the various phases of cleanup and development. "We hired Randy because the NL project was moving along and we needed someone for the applicants and the developers to touch base with at town hall," D'Addio said. "… We interviewed four people before we decided [on Corman]. There was no executive director before him. We were at a stalemate with NL." Corman is expected to stay on for the next three weeks, and the agency is anticipating to soon reach an agreement with the chosen National Lead redeveloper, O'Neill Properties, of King of Prussia, Pa., D'Addio added. "We are just about done with [contract negotiations with] O'Neill," D'Addio said. "We are very close to an agreement, but after the deal is signed and done, we will need an executive director." D'Addio, who has been with the agency for about seven years, noted that he and Corman have known each other since they attended Sayreville War Memorial High School together. Corman went on to become the New Jersey Turnpike Authority's director of law, he added. Corman said the Senate still must vote to confirm his new position as judge. In the meantime, he is working to complete the agreement for the National Lead redevelopment project. "It's an immensely complicated transaction," Corman said. "A lot of people have been working long hours to make this happen. "Progress has been slow, but it has been steady," he added. Corman, who lives in Sayreville, said working for SERA has been exciting, since the agency is funded through the redevelopment projects it initiates and not through the borough's budget. He said the agency's work has resulted in millions in dollars in revenue for the borough through its redevelopment efforts. "Running SERA, in many ways, is like running a private business," Corman said. "… It's been very rewarding, because I had the opportunity to work to hold down my own taxes. Not many public officials get that opportunity." SERA Chairman Raniero Travisano, who has been a member of the agency since its inception nine years ago, said that if SERAdoes not fill the executive director position by the time Corman leaves, the agency can have its attorney act as executive director until it finds somebody else. "I know Randy can't stay on forever, but we are close to a four-way agreement" on the National Lead project, Travisano said. Travisano said he is proud of Corman, who was a student at the junior high school that Travisano taught at years ago. "He is a great asset to the [agency]," Travisano said. "He has worked well as our director and we hate to see him go, but of course this is a great opportunity for him and his family. He deserves it." SERAhas not yet begun the process of finding another executive director, and Travisano said it will be difficult to find a replacement for Corman. "He was on top of everything," Travisano said. "He knew what was going on. Whenever we had a question, Randy has been there with the answer. I'm very proud of him. I know he is looking forward to moving on." Mayor Kennedy O'Brien cited the completion of the converter station on River Road and the progress that was made with the former Robert E. Lee restaurant site on Route 35 as being among the accomplishments that Corman helped the borough realize, in addition to twice seeking and selecting a developer for National Lead. "Randy Corman was born and raised in Sayreville," O'Brien said. "He went on to a very good career in law. He has been director of SERA and he took SERA through a great deal of the redevelopment stages. He is to be commended for his work for his hometown. Whoever follows him will have big shoes to fill. I wish him well as a judge. I know he'll continue to serve the residents of New Jersey with honor and integrity." D'Addio said the agency hopes to hire a new director within a month. "If we have to have a special meeting, we will," D'Addio said. "[Corman's] been a big help," D'Addio said. "He's going to be tough to replace."