{"id":23214,"date":"2014-05-14T17:43:27","date_gmt":"2014-05-14T21:43:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brigantinenow.com\/?p=23214"},"modified":"2023-09-09T21:47:21","modified_gmt":"2023-09-10T01:47:21","slug":"brigantine-public-safety-director-ousted-overtime-inquiry-begins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brigantinenow.com\/brigantine-public-safety-director-ousted-overtime-inquiry-begins\/","title":{"rendered":"Brigantine Public Safety Director Ousted. Overtime Inquiry Begins"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Who
Mayor Phil Guenther. Who OK’s Overtime?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Wednesday May 13, Brigantine voters decided to oust Public Safety Director; Dan Howard.<\/strong> It was a short and tumultuous run for Mr. Howard that exposed many inefficiencies within City Hall. (much to the dismay of city employees)<\/p>\n

One big stink emerged as the May 13 election approached. It was a bombshell revelation: Brigantine’s Mayor Guenther<\/a> admitted that he didn’t know who was in charge of the employee overtime piggy bank. This WTF moment would be kinda funny, if it wasn’t so sad and downright disrespectful to Brigantine taxpayers.<\/p>\n

Some suggest that some city employees have a virtual blank check for overtime pay.<\/strong> One report shows where a Brigantine Fire Captain pulled down $1,900 in just one day working for the OT sugar daddy known as Brigantine. It was legal, but it’s been a costly loophole that’s been funded by the taxpayers for quite some time. (see sample of OT & Comp time requests below)<\/p>\n

Mr. Howard was brought in to temporarily fill a public safety position and assist in bridging the divide between the city and the unions. Brigantine had embraced the Public Safety position for many years during the Republican stranglehold on the city.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When the GOP lost their majority to the fiscally conservative Democrats in November of 2012,<\/strong> the Republicans lead by Mayor Phil Guenther had a change of heart. For a portion of Guenther’s ongoing 22 year reign, the public safety director position was enjoyed as an ‘extra perk with pay’ by former City Manager \/ex-cop ; Jim Barber. Today, the Republicans along with the Public Safety unions, are no longer fond of the PSD role. Go figure.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday night May 7, 2014, the you know what<\/strong> <\/em>hit the fan. The Mayor was shocked and surprised to hear that the City Manager lost control of authorizing overtime. That authority was ceded to the Public Safety Captains as per an arbiters ruling on February 19, 2014. WATCH VIDEO:<\/p>\n