A local watchdog’s complaint against Jersey City officials who receive large paychecks from taxpayer-funded jobs has added to the city’s business administrator.
In a letter to the Hudson Reporter, Civic Jesse called out City Council members and the Fulop administration for practicing “double dipping,” a practice that Mayor Steven Fulop opposed as a City Council member in 2008.
Formerly known as John Metro, he serves as the city’s acting business manager at an annual salary of $190,000, with a secondary income of $8,783 as the city’s insurance fund secretary. He is also on the payroll as an assistant to the county board of commissioners, earning $7,450, according to the Hudson Reporter.
But what’s new here?
Financial disclosures and documents obtained through a series of OPRA requests, Hudson Reporter He learned that Metro was receiving money from the city’s board of education before he started as the city’s business manager.
A letter from the school board named Metro as school treasurer effective April 24, 2019. he was He was appointed As the city’s business manager with the support of eight councilors on December 18, 2019
“If he has time to do five other jobs, we’re paying him too much to be the business manager for Jersey City,” said Esther Wintner, current president of the local civic group, a local watchdog group.
The Hudson Reporter John Metro reached out for comment, but did not receive a response.
In the year By 2020, Metro received $15,769.08 in annual revenue from the county while working to maintain municipal finances. From the school board, for three years, he received a total of $47,662.42. OPRA’s request through the New Jersey Local Finance Board also revealed that Metro operated in two separate departments under the Office of Risk Management and the Board of Commissioners, both at the county level.
In the year As of 2022, listed under the payroll as “Assistant to the Commissioner” and “Secretary/Clerk,” he received an annual salary of $15,702.69. of Hudson Reporter Contact the Hudson County Executive’s office to get clarity on roles and responsibilities and include a response in this story if someone receives one.
Last year, the mayor’s press secretary, Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione b Hudson Reporter In an email, he said, “The mayor still believes that working for the city should be the primary job for everyone employed there, but that’s not always possible and the mayor doesn’t legally control this,” i.e. double dipping.
of Hudson Reporter contacting the mayor’s press secretary to ask if the administration knew that John Metro was serving as school board treasurer before hiring him as the city’s business manager; No comments yet.
For updates on this and other stories, visit www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Jordan Coll can be reached at jcoll@hudsonreporter.com.
