Can Brigantine really afford these rich, public employee contracts? That’s the question on everyone’s mind as the Police Chief revolving door cranked out another big pay day. After less than 2 years in that position, Tim Reed has announced he will retire.
Ask and you shall receive. We appreciate the quick turnaround by Brigantine City Clerk; Lynn Sweeney.
We submitted an OPRA (open public records act) request. We asked the Clerk for info pertaining to reports of Brigantine Police Chief Tim Reed and Fire Chief Weidner getting ready to retire after less than 2 years in those positions. We also asked for any documents pertaining to alleged unprofessional activity engaged in by Brigantine Police Chief Reed. We were stone-walled…for now… on that request. SEE DOCUMENTS BELOW.
This public domain info isn’t published in the local papers or sent out via press release. So, what does a Brigantine Public Employee retirement package look like?
For Mr. Tim Reed, he’ll get a Brigantine taxpayer funded check totaling $131,715.12 for unused sick & vacation time.
Because there’s a cap on how much accumulated sick time (2,376 hours) Reed can cash in, he’ll schrewdly burn off 8 weeks of sick time via the often unethical: ‘terminal leave pay’. The outgoing Brigantine Police Chief will get paid to stay home until his official retirement date of March 1, 2016.
These types of employee compensation policies are increasingly rare in a world of belt tightening and right-sizing. But they remain in full force….in Brigantine.
During these so called sick days, Brigantine Taxpayers will provide additional compensation to the new ‘acting’ chief as well. This rich retirement package was crafted over the years by past and present city managers; Jim Barber & Ed Stinson.
The retirement package also provides for healthcare. Approximately 2/3 of the final Chief salary will be used to formulate his long term, monthly pension payments. All of this is paid for by Brigantine Taxpayers.
These harmful public employee contracts are the #1 reason why Brigantine struggles to rebound financially. Un-sustainable deals & municipal payouts have a direct, negative effect on the local economy, specifically Real Estate values. These public employee contracts can trace their nasty roots back to the infamous former City Manager / Public Safety Director; Jim Barber. Brigantine union heads Tiger Platt and Deleon certainly represented their side quite well. Those who represented Brigantine Taxpayers were tepid negotiators…at best.
Brigantine retirement documents for Chief Tim Reed were revealing.
Why isn’t info like this shared by those who claim to represent taxpayers? Good question. We all may want to re-think our support of the (usually) fiscally conservative Brigantine Democrats. Old school lawns signs & corny slogans won’t be enough to clean house on The Rock.
Communicating all issues with residents (year round and part-time) is a key part of council duties. Un-covering and sharing uncomfortable facts of interest to taxpayers (like rich, union retirement packages)…. is also a part of their job. The Brigantine Democrats need to really step up here. Geez, anonymously use OPRA if you’re afraid of harassment.
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Why is BrigantineNOW sharing this critical taxpayer information? No one else was doing it.
Quite frankly, we were pleasantly surprised how quick and easy the process was. We just emailed the request to City Clerk Sweeney. We clearly state in the email that it was an OPRA request. The clerk provided requested info within 24 hours. If desired, I could have emailed an anonymous request. (Please be respectful when requesting OPRA info. Wasting clerk’s time on fabricated requests helps no one)
Really? Nobody has the time to quickly shoot an OPRA email to the very accommodating Clerk Sweeney? Now that’s just plain dumb and a dereliction of duty, especially when you can make the request via anonymous email. Maybe Brigantine taxpayers have money to burn? Maybe there’s still lingering fear of harassment?
Do Second Home-Owners…Have Representation in Brigantine? Not Really.
As for why the local papers don’t do their journalistic duty, we can only assume they’re highly encouraged to look the other way….or else.
How can second homeowners (part-time residents) find proper representation inside Brigantine City Hall? We recommend using OPRA requests as a critical first step.
- Many Brigantine employees have enjoyed 20 percent annual raises for quite some time.
- Salaries dramatically outpace inflation in Brigantine where 63% of each tax dollar goes to public employees.
- Via OPRA, (Open Public Records Act request), we see pay hikes, longevity, overtime and terminal leave pay-outs being some of Brigantine greatest burdens.
- Starting salaries for some in Brigantine increased 44 percent between 1999 and 2012. One particular Brigantine public employee’s salary nearly doubled.
- Brigantine has 30+ employees earning more than $100k per year. That’s NOT counting overtime, cadillac heath care, longevity and pension contributions. That $125,000 salary easily turns into $160,000+… within the blink of an eye.
NOTE: Even when a former Brigantine Police Chief violated a sexual harassment policy……big money payouts still happen.
- Offensive or derogatory comments to victim
- Slapped victim on the behind,”
- Called victim names such as “Sugar Lips”
- “Stand uncomfortably close” to victim
This info was made public after a legal battle lead by open public records advocate; John Paff. Paff uncovered info that showed Frugoli, the female victim and City Manager Jim Barber signed a settlement agreement on March 30, 2010 — one week after investigation report was submitted to the city.
Victim agreed not to sue if the former chief retired and never sought city employment again. The victim received no settlement money.
After all of that…..the former Brigantine Police Chief received a $159,778 retirement package.
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If I’m reading that correctly it states that Reed has accumulated sick time of 2376 hours (which is 59 work weeks!) plus he will be sitting home “sick” for 8 weeks and getting paid his normal salary?
Reed accumulated an average of 2.2 weeks of unused sick time per year over is illustrious 27 year career as a Brigantine Municipal Welfare recipient.
At what point do those representing the taxpayers reduce the sick day handout?
These sick days can only be classified as WELFARE (or criminal)!
How about the city of brigantine adopt a use it or lose it sick day policy for their employees? Since most departments are overstaffed anyway I doubt there would be any “coverage” issues.
All that unused sick time can only mean 1 of 2 things:
Reed is a very very healthy man having never used a sick day during his tenure
Or
Brigantine city hands out sick days to their employees like it does candy to kids on Halloween
The “SICK TIME” issue is SICKENING… (as are many issues on the otherwise beautiful Island of Brigantine.). Most Public Employee Unions (including PD & FF) have revised sick time to the “Use it OR Lose it” standard. Perhaps the people in City Hall need to be sued for dereliction of duty (or at least- FIRED). .. when will this end?
and… can you sit home “collecting sick”, if you are not sick? I’m confused.
His letter states that he will be out from Jan 11th to Mar 1st to address a medical issue that recently arisen, retiring Mar 1st.
His medical diagnosis: 8-week Metatarsophalangeal joint sprain
Let me provide a bit of insight as to how my compensation, health benefits, and retirement plan works…Consider this a “REAL WORLD” example which can then be compared to the packages offered on Fantasy Island.
1. I work for an International Company that is ranked in the top 100 of Fortune 500 Companies.
2. I’ve been with the Company for 10+ years.
Retirement – 401K – Funded by payroll deductions from my take home pay. Company will match up to 25% of my contributions to the IRS limit. No pension plan. Most large companies have eliminated Pension Plans, because of liability and funding issues.
Health Benefits – Quality of the benefits have decreased dramatically over the last 5 years. (20% Co-Pay on everything with no deductible. Cost per month (to cover only me- no family) $374.. The cost the employees pay has increased significantly each year.
Vacation / Sick Time – No longer offered “Sick” days. All days are lumped together into a pool of 30 days. (If you get sick you use vacation days) 5 days per year can be carried over.
When I retire – I get what’s in my can roll the balance of my 401K into an IRA. Health benefits terminate as of the last day of the month I retire. NO HEALTH BENEFITS AFTER THIS DATE. I get paid any unused PTO, which could never more than 35 days or 280 hours.
2,378.50 hours equals 297 days, plus 336 hours (42 days) and the real kicker is 66.67% of his final top salary for the rest of his life? I’m afraid to ask it if terminates when he dies or does his wife continue to collect…..Abusive and excessive are two words that come to mind….
While reading these articles, I find the OPRA reports themselves to be very factual and enlightening information!!
However,
when Brigantine Now states—-
“” This rich retirement package was crafted over the years by past and present city managers; Jim Barber & Ed Stinson””,
I beg to DIFFER
These contracts were negotiated through the previous City Manager, Jennifer Blumenthal,
Again, Barber and Stinson had nothing to do with Chief Reeds contract!
Just Sayi’n’
Hi Joe,
All three had their hands in the deal making.
But Barber’s initial deal was the big one…that got the snowball rolling.
Blumenthal was stonewalled every step of the way…..she was unable to reign in the unions.
Stinson made some chamges…to future employees….but maintained much of the fat that Barber installed many years ago.
Hope that makes sense…..pretty sure I’m spot on with that assessment.
Jim Barber had nothing to do with the contract of Chief Tim Reed
Nor did Ed Stinson,
this contract was signed and negotiated by Jennifer Blumenthal,
Joe, You are correct about the chief contract signed by blumenthal……yet the massive sick and vacation payout policy was originally instituted by Barber. Stinson perpetuated it recently.
You really think Barber and Stinson had NOTHING to do with this union contract and other city union contracts? Really?
That’s akin to saying that Scott Boras, Alex Rodriguez agent back in 2001 that brokered a $252M contract with the Texas Rangers has nothing to do with current baseball salaries? That Boras did not set the wheels in motion way back in 2001 for $200M contracts (in all sports for that matter) that we see today?
Here is one example of how hard it is to remove a condition of a union contract, the guaranteed money in sports contracts. Try to sign a player (or even a coach) in today’s sports environment without “guaranteed money”. Since guaranteed money was introduced and set in motion years ago it is here to stay, and you can thank Dennis Gilbert for that.
(fyi- Gilbert was Bobby Bonilla agent in 1992 that negotiated the guaranteed money contract that pays Bonilla thru 2035, Bonilla retired in 2001)
Remember also, in Brigantine we are not talking about the Derek Jeter’s and the David Ortiz’s of police and fire!
BrigantineNow
Your main page reads “how public unions are killing Brigantine”
Public unions aren’t killing Brigantine it’s the terms and conditions in the contacts that aren’t arms length that are killing Brigantine, not the unions themselves.
Please correct.
As a lowly cardiologist I could no longer continue to live in Brigantine and pay the exorbitant taxes to supply city employees the retirement/benefits that far exceeded my own. Presumably that is because I am less educated or work in a less stressful environment . If some city employees an cash out “unused sick pay at 135,000, how much should we allot our Navy Seals and veterans who are at risk to pay the ultimate sacrifice?
In Greece the retirement age is 54, of course they’re stone cold in debt and need EU to bail them out; on the irony observation, how come any Greek diner in NJ ya see the same old lady behind the cashier post for the last 50 years ? ha
The mandate of any Police Force is for its leaders and members to conduct themselves with honor and integrity, while at all times upholding the highest ethical standards to maintain public confidence.
How did these values get so lost in such a small community?
with 75% of taxpayers being part-time residents, this allows for ‘when the cat is away, the mice will play’.
Chief Reed’s unused sick time pay of $131,715 is approx. $30.00 for each and every household in Brigantine. Not a lot of money. I mean after all, this guy is HEALTHY. What a curse! If only he was sickly and frail or contracted ebola or something, he would not have the misfortune of being such a healthy guy. I feel bad for him being so healthy and all. Even though he was paid by the taxpayers for every day he worked already, he should be paid again for all those days of good health. Maybe $131,715 isn’t enough for being cursed with good health. Maybe we should show what a caring community Brigantine is and organize a beef and beer (or chicken and water…don’t want to ruin his health now) as an additional fund raiser. Small consolation for the burden of being a healthy guy. I am feeling ill about all this……lucky me.
I’m assuming you were trying to make some kind of point here but I haven’t the faintest idea what it is?
There is if you recognize irony. The entire concept of being paid for unused sick days, (i.e. being healthy) only exists in the backwards thinking of unions and government.
Chief Reeds problems are more serious than you can imagine. I highly recommend all Brigantine Police Officers be routinely drug tested if you care about them doing something about drugs in your community.
… hmmmm- interesting. Is there a problem with our PD/ FD? and has Reed produced RELIABLE documentation for his “illness”?
You’re insinuating that Reeds pill addiction has something to do with his retirement and that prescribed medication is the same a street drugs.
Don’t goo there!