Hopewell Township appoints judge amid controversy
By Lisa Coryell
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES - HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP
In a contentious meeting fraught with accusations of political patronage and backroom deals, the township committee hired a new judge to sit on the municipal bench for the next three years.
Charles Ouslander, a retired Hunterdon County assistant prosecutor with no judicial experience, will replace Roger T. Haley, whose appointment is up this year.
Ouslander, who lives in the Brandon Farms development, was selected from a pool of six candidates, including Haley, who sought a third term on the bench.
But angry committee Democrats, who cast the dissenting votes in the 3-2 decision Monday night, accused their Republican counterparts of shutting them out of the hiring process.
Vanessa Sandom and John Murphy, the two Democrats on the committee, criticized Mayor Jim Burd for allowing himself and Deputy Mayor Michael Markulec to serve as a screening committee that interviewed the six candidates before presenting Ouslander as a finalist for review by the entire committee.
"There are three Republicans and two Democrats who serve on this committee," Murphy said. "The fact that we weren't in a position to participate fully in that decision, I don't understand."
An irate Sandom accused the Republicans of shunning the Democrats. She said the process is so flawed it prevents anyone hired from being a credible judge.
"You didn't ask for our input. You haven't even provided us with any information on the other candidates," she fumed.
She asked why Burd was even going through the motion of having the committee interview Ouslander in a closed session.
"Why put us through this whole process, it's a sham," she said. "Just vote. You made up your mind. You have the votes. Go ahead and do it."
Burd defended his position, saying the hiring process he used is one followed by his church in selecting a pastor. The township attorney sanctioned the method as a legal and acceptable way to screen applicants, he said.
Some residents were not satisfied with that explanation. Spencer Cutter said the township should not follow the business model of a religious organization.
"Churches are not known for being the most democratic or transparent organizations around," he said. "You have to admit, it looks like you're hiding something."
Allen Cannon said each member of the committee represents a unique group of constituents who elected him or her.
"When you stop a committee member from being part of the process, you alienate a part of the community that has ties to that committee member," he said.
Ouslander himself would not comment on the controversy surrounding his hire or on the vote that ultimately gave him the job.
Burd yesterday named the other individuals who had applied for the job: Doug Hoffman, a judge in Hamilton and Robbinsville; former municipal judge Francis Batcha and attorneys Russ Wojtenko and James Schragger.
Burd said Sandom and Murphy had had an opportunity to submit questions to be asked of all the candidates and to interview the final candidate.
"If he did not get the proper number of votes we would have gone back to the drawing board to evaluate other candidates," he said.
See March 15, 2011, HVDemClub Editorial by Liberty Bell to learn our position on this issue.
Posted by: Liberty Bell | 03/16/2011 at 10:36 AM