Trotta bids bittersweet farewell to Eatontown Boro administrator for more than two decades grateful to have served BY LAYLI WHYTE Staff Writer LAYLIWHYTE Michael Trotta EATONTOWN - Michael Trotta has resigned from his position as borough administrator, but his love for the borough in which he has worked for over 20 years remains intact. Trotta tendered his resignation late last month, citing health problems. His resignation will become effective in February. "It's hard to think about all that's happened over the past 21 years," he said last week. "I was given a great opportunity to perform there. It was a great professional opportunity that the council afforded me." Trotta came to the borough in February 1986, and he said there were many accomplishments of the borough of which he is proud to have been a part, including updating technology at the municipal building, acquiring some property for open space in the borough, and a creative trade that took place for the current home of the borough public library. "We traded loads of compost for it," said Trotta, a resident of Monmouth Beach. Trotta explained that the building on Broad Street had previously been a post office, and that the federal government had been looking to unload the property in favor of a regional postal center on Industrial Way. "They needed top soil to do in-fill before they built the new building," he said, "and we were one of the first municipalities to do leaf composting. When the leaves have composted, it turns into top soil, so we traded loads of the compost for the building. The federal government had wanted to preserve the building for a public use, and the library had been in the borough hall building. We needed more room. Mayor (J. Joseph) Frankel and I negotiated the deal." Trotta said he is also very proud of being a part of the acquisition of the property that is now the site of Wampum Memorial Park on Route 35. "My background is in parks and recreation," he said. "That's what I have my master's degree in. At first, an Eatontown developer wanted to build condos there, and the council pursued the Monmouth Conservation Foundation for funding. They bought the property and we bought it from them. A lot of veterans got involved, and it's one of the nicest veterans' plazas around." Not all of Trotta's work was out of doors. "When I first came to the borough in 1986," he said, "there were no computers in the building. I went to work on getting computers for every office. If only they knew how little I knew about them, they never would have asked me. Now we have full-time tech support on staff, and we are always looking to go to the next technological level." Trotta said he is also very proud of the changes he helped to implement in the borough's personnel policies, such as paying tuition for up to nine college credits a year for employees who want to further their education. "Whether it's a police officer studying criminal justice," he said, "or a department director taking classes for their position, they can take up to nine credits a year, and upon successful completion, they get reimbursed. I'm really happy with the number of people who have taken advantage of the program." Trotta said that he came to the borough with little experience for the position of administrator, but that he is very thankful that the borough took a chance on him. "There were a lot of nights when I went home and said to my wife that I hope they don't know what I don't know," he said with a chuckle. "It's not easy to be in local government today. I have never gotten political. I always told the borough employees that we work for who shows up. I've never attended a political function. I never bought a ticket. I've never voted in a primary election. I think that really is the best way to manage. I think that way, you're respected by both parties." Trotta started his municipal career in Middletown, as the assistant director of the its Parks and Recreation Department in the late 1970s. He then moved on to director of parks and recreation and director of public works in Aberdeen. "When the job at Eatontown opened up," he said, "it seemed like an interesting position, and it turned out to be just wonderful. Not that everyday was perfect, but there were more perfect days than bad ones. I was hired to make decisions when things weren't going well. Anyone can manage when things are going perfectly." Trotta said the only way he was able to do the kind of job he did was because of the support he received from, not only his wife and children, who he said were very understanding about the sometimes long hours his job required but also of his administrative staff and the mayor and council. "I had a great administrative assistant and administrative staff," he said. "The borough also has some great employees, both volunteer and paid. We have a great number of people who volunteer at the borough. Also, the professionals, like the attorney and auditors have been wonderful. And the residents and taxpayers, they have to want good government, and that doesn't mean agreeing with everything we do. The mayors and council members I've worked with have worked hard to have an open government. Open government means sometimes having meetings until 11 or 12 o'clock at night, so that anyone who wanted to speak, would have a chance to." Looking ahead, Trotta said there are many things on the horizon for Eatontown, which he is a little disappointed to not be a part of, such as the closing of Fort Monmouth and future changes to the intersection of Routes 35 and 36. "The historic value of Fort Monmouth is something that needs to be considered," he said, "and we want to be able to maintain as many jobs as possible. Recreation, open space, affordable housing and some form of ratables are all need to be looked at for that land. Planning is the key." He said that during his time with the borough, there have been two major changes to the intersection of Routes 35 and 36, and that another may be planned for the future. "The borough has been working with the [state Department of Transportation] for several years," he said, "and there have been several public hearings. Route 36 is due to be widened after the Breeder's Cup [at Monmouth Park racetrack] next year." Although Trotta said he would have preferred to retire at 62, he is 58 years old and hopes to spend as much time as he can doing what he loves, like surf-fishing and keeping up with college basketball, especially Indiana State University, his alma mater. "That's where I got my degree," he said, "and that's where I met my wife, so it is very close to my heart. My daughter also went there, and that's where she met her husband, and I also have a nephew from California going there." Trotta said that although poor health will prohibit him from working, and may shorten the amount of time he can do the things he loves, he hopes to be well enough, in time, to do some volunteer work and he hopes to stay in touch with the people he's met and worked with in Eatontown. "I have made some lifelong friends in Eatontown," he said, "at the borough and in the residential and business communities."