Three Take Oaths of Office

Sometimes it's OK to swear.

On Thursday evening, three new Chatham Township officials were sworn in to their respective positions. Steven Hennelly was sworn in as police lieutenant, Debra King took the oath as chief financial officer and Gregory LaConte was sworn in as the municipal clerk. While the three were sworn in, they have been fulfilling their duties for a couple of weeks now.

"The appointments were made at the July 22 meeting and effective Aug. 1," LaConte said. "This was just a ceremony, just kind of a public celebration. The duties haven't changed. The lady who had been the clerk retired in November and Township Administrator Thomas Ciccarone had been appointed acting clerk. The committee recently decided to appoint me as the clerk for the state mandated three-year term."

The committee also pulled from the agenda a resolution to rehire Ciccarone as administrator when he formally retires. Ciccarone was set to retire and then return in the same position, but make $13,000 less than the $163,000 per year he currently makes.

The move would have allowed Ciccarone to begin collecting a pension from the state while still collecting a salary from the township. Chatham Township would have saved upward of $20,000 annually, as it would not have been contributing pension payments for Ciccarone going forward, officials said.

However, Ciccarone recently decided to put off his retirement.

Mayor Nicole Hagner defended the move, saying Ciccarone has done a great job with the township.

In addition to the fanfare, William Behre, a retiring Lieutenant, was awarded with a plaque and medals for all of his service with the force.