Shocked by allegations against township manager (Letter to the Editor)
I have read with shock and disbelief about the alleged behavior of our township manager. How has this gone on for so long? Bravo to Ms. Padmaja Rao for standing up and speaking out. I know it cannot have been easy.
There seems to be a long history of Mr. Timothy Stafford's alleged abuse of the township staff, and apparently it was no secret to the Township Council after the August internal report was conducted. Why was he allowed to continue in his position? There are so many egregious examples of atrocious behavior. There is no need for any more investigations as called for by Mayor Sean Spiller, since the results of the one by Mr. Bruce Morgan, and Ms. Rao's lawsuit, make it abundantly clear that Mr. Stafford should be terminated immediately. What more proof is needed?
It is shocking to me that Mr. Stafford is acting as the human resources manager, and that the positions of senior services manager and environmental coordinator are still unfilled after a year [Editor’s Note: the environmental coordinator position was filled recently], and that nothing has been done to remedy these situations. Is anybody surprised that so many of the township leadership staff have resigned?
In addition to Mr. Stafford, I think it is incumbent on our mayor to have remedied these situations. There has been a very poor response from our mayor, and I think he should step down, along with Mr. Stafford. These issues have been brewing for a long time, and our township government gives the mayor and the council oversight over the township manager. The fact that Mr. Stafford was not fired long ago speaks to very inadequate council leadership. Shame on those of you who have gone along with this terrible behavior.
In a town like Montclair, it is extra disturbing to learn about this alleged misogynistic, hostile, illegal behavior from Mr. Stafford, and to realize that there are those who have been aware of this for a long time, but chose to look away.
Alex Kent
Montclair