Evan Vitale Consulting: Mayor gets $90K 'mold remediation' consulting job in neighboring town

Monday, October 26, 2015

Mayor gets $90K 'mold remediation' consulting job in neighboring town – NJ.com

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Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner is being paid $90,000 to deal with mold remediation in West New York. (Alyssa Ki/The Jersey Journal)

WEST NEW YORK — Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner has been awarded a lucrative contract for a temporary consulting gig in West New York to deal with “mold remediation” and other unspecified projects.

According to West New York spokeswoman Natalia Novas, Turner will be paid $90,000 during his six-month stint as a Special Project Consultant, “specifically to deal with issues such as mold remediation.”

RELATED: Times change but not the mayor: 25 years of Weehawken mayor Richard Turner

“The municipality has resources for the remediation and in an effort to protect the town from exposure it is important for these issues to move forward,” she said in a statement.

Novas said that town officials did not mention to her any other projects besides mold remediation.

The town spokeswoman has not yet responded to a follow-up inquiry asking about the extent of the mold issue in the town, and which buildings are facing a mold issue and if residents should be concerned.

West New York Mayor Felix Roque declined to answer questions about the mold and Turner’s new contract, which he said was a personnel matter. A message left with Turner’s assistant has not yet been returned.

Turner, 65, has been Weehawken’s mayor for the past 25 years and previously worked as town administrator in West New York when now-U.S. Congressman Albio Sires was mayor.

Novas said since the contract is for an “extraordinary unspecifiable service” it does not legally need to be publicized in advance.

The board voted to award the contract at Wednesday night’s meeting, she said, and Turner will begin his new town work on Nov. 1.

While West New York’s Business Administrator Matthew Watkins recently quit his $196,000 job to take on the same role closer to home, Turner’s job is “unequivocally not like an interim Business Administrator appointment,” Novas said.

“Mr. Turner will not have anything to do with personnel, not be expected to participate in the monthly commissioners meetings, or be accountable for any of the ordinary functions of a Business Administrator,” she said.

Laura Herzog may be reached at lherzog@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LauraHerzogL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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