Newly appointed Margate Municipal Administrator Ken Mosca signs his employment agreement as Commissioner John Amodeo and Municipal Clerk Johanna Casey look on.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
MARGATE – The Board of Commissioners Thursday, Jan. 19 approved a three-year contract with Ken Mosca, the city’s new administrator, effective Jan. 23.
Mosca will replace Acting Administrator Richard Deaney, who has served in that capacity for the more than a decade through a professional services contract with Jersey Professional Management. JPM is a management consulting and recruitment firm that also provides municipalities, on a contract basis, experienced professionals, many who have retired from public service, to serve as administrators or departments heads until a municipality hires a permanent replacement.
Neighboring Ventnor also uses JPM to provide the services of Temporary Acting Administrator Maria Mento, who also works on a part-time basis as administrator.
Mosca will earn $125,000 in his first year, with 3% raises in subsequent years. He will earn one sick day per month this year and have 15 sick days annually after that. He is also entitled to 15 vacation days a year, and since he will be a full-time employee, is eligible to receive health benefits.
He will serve under the supervision of the commissioners, coordinate administration of various departments, and make recommendations for plans and programs to meet the changing needs of the city, the ordinance governing the municipal administrator states. He will implement policies and procedures, develop the municipal budget, negotiate collective bargaining agreements, and serve as a liaison between the city and utility companies.
Mosca, a Ventnor resident, previously served as the government and community affairs liaison for Atlantic City Electric. He has experience as administrator in Ocean Township and Linwood.
He and his wife, Isabelle, founded the autism support group, FACES. He graduated from Stockton University with a degree in business administration.
Deaney, who has been a municipal administrator for nearly 52 years, will stay on temporarily to help with the transition and help Mosca formulate this year’s capital plan, he said.
Acting Administrator Richard Deaney attended his last Board of Commissioners meeting Thursday, Jan.19. 2023.
Deaney said he has a 25-item list of things that need to be accomplished.
Mayor Michael Becker said Deaney was hired for six months 11 years ago.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank you for taking us a long way,” Becker said.
“It’s appropriate to finish my career in Margate. We have a wonderful professional staff that is very cohesive. I love this table where we coordinate our various disciplines to get things done. It’s been a great experience,” Deaney said.
In other business, the board approved its annual professional services contract with the Margate Business Association to provide marketing services and organize the city’s larger special events, such as Beachstock and the Fall Funfest by the Bay.
The commission provided the MBA with $109,000 to be used for the celebration of city events.
City engineer Ed Dennis Jr. also said a pump station project on Adams Avenue, which has been in the planning stages for several years, is currently funded at nearly 100% from outside sources. The city has received grants from Ocean Wind Trust, which provided a $446,880 grant, and FEMA, which will provide $1.87 million toward the project. The grants will reimburse the city for expenditures related to the project, which will now enter the design and permitting stage.
Dennis said the pump station and wet well would alleviate flooding in the Marina District and provide relief during high tide events. All of the piping to drain stormwater into the bay will be underground, he said. The only thing elevated will be the electric equipment that provides the energy to run the pump.
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