MARGATE – The chaos over the potential ouster of Chief Financial Advisor Lisa McLaughlin continued at Thursday’s Board of Commissioners meeting. According to actions taken by the commissioners, it will take three people to fill in for McLaughlin, who is on medical leave due to the stress of her situation.
Administrator Pat Moran Oct. 9 said he would file a Complaint for Removal with the NJ Department of Community Affairs for failure to perform her duties, insubordination, conduct unbecoming a public employee, neglect of duty, misuse of public property, violating city rules and regulations and unauthorized use of computers, internet and email, and failure to perform the duties of a municipal CFO.
Although Moran has yet to file the complaint with the state, the commissioners are scrambling to make payroll and pay the bills in McLaughlin’s absence.
According to Moran, the city attempted to negotiate a settlement with McLaughlin, but it has not moved forward “due to additional information,” he told our reporter recently.
McLaughlin supporters and concerned city employees filled the meeting room Dec. 4 to ask the commissioners to do whatever they can to settle the matter so they can feed their families during the holidays.
Firefighter Brian Duffey, who is president of FMBA Local 41, pleaded with the commissioners to solve their differences and “make good choices” to ensure city employees get paid.
At issue is the lack of a CFO to certify payments are made according to state law. During the meeting, the board introduced three ordinances and approved several resolutions that would staff the Finance Department so the employees don’t miss a pay period and the bills can be paid and closed out before the end of 2025.
In one resolution, the board agreed to authorize a “provisional” or temporary change in title for Senior Accounting Clerk John Voight to serve as Provisional Comptroller, a title approved by the NJ Civil Service Commission. Voight will be required to attend classes and take a test to become a Certified Municipal Finance Officer. The resolution recites the city’s “immediate need” and creates the position, while a companion ordinance introduced on first reading sets an $80,000-$92,000 salary range for the comptroller position. A public hearing on Ordinance 20-2025 will be held 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17.
The board also agreed to hire a part-time accounting clerk along with a “confidential assistant” to assist the Finance Department. Both candidates are current employees in the Finance Office in nearby Ventnor and will work on a limited basis before or after their regular business hours in Ventnor.
Ventnor CFO Amy Stover, who was hired as Ventnor’s comptroller in a similar fashion after the departure of then-CFO Albert Stanley, previously worked as comptroller for Atlantic County government.
Stover, who is now a Certified Municipal Finance Officer, will be paid $150 an hour on a limited basis to provide “guidance and assistance to the Finance Department.” Payments will be retroactive to Dec. 1. A companion ordinance creates the title of “Confidential Assistant” and sets an hourly rate of $25-$150 for the position.
Ordinance 23-2025 also creates the position of Part-time Account Clerk with an hourly rate of $25-$100. Sari Appelbaum, who works under Stover’s supervision in Ventnor, will fill the part-time account clerk position at an hourly rate of $100. A public hearing on the ordinance will also be held at the Dec. 17 meeting.
According to Moran, the NJ Department of Community Affairs and Civil Service approved the arrangement on a temporary basis. The city’s auditor and financial advisor approved the scheme.
Commissioner Maury Blumberg, who heads the Finance Department, said he was not in favor of the resolution giving Voight the temporary comptroller position. Nevertheless, he voted to approve it because “we can’t run the risk of not paying people.”
