Police chief tapped as borough administrator
Search on for new chief to replace Jackson
BY AMANDA BELING Staff Writer

EATONTOWN - After a through application and evaluation process, the borough has chosen to hire current Chief of Police George Jackson as the new administrator.

Jackson will be retiring as chief of police and will be sworn in as borough administrator Oct. 10.

In May, the borough retained Jersey Professional Management, a recruiting firm, to assist in finding a new administrator to officially replace former Administrator Michael Trotta.

"[Trotta] had to resign and retire due to health reasons, and he'll be a tough act to follow, but George is our ideal candidate for the job," Mayor Gerald J. Tarantolo said.

"It was a national search and we had résumés from Chicago to Maine, but mostly throughout New Jersey, and the firm received 40 to 50 résumés and applications," he said.

The borough organized a Finance and Ordinance Committee that included Borough Council President Theodore F. Lewis Jr., Councilman Carl Sohl and Councilwoman Joyce Englehart.

"We worked with the firm in sorting through the applicants. They would receive all the applications and we would review all their comments on each candidate and we would have a discussion about it," Lewis said.

Tarantolo said the committee narrowed the search to eight candidates and shared their findings with the governing body and together narrowed the list to the top three, which included Jackson.

"I knew there would be a lot of competition because the borough enlisted the recruiting company, and I knew there would be a good amount of applicants who were going to respond to the opening," Jackson said.

Jackson said that he was eligible to retire from the Police Department after 25 years of service but has been in the department for 31 years.

"I've only been the chief for the last two years, and if it hadn't been for the administrator opening, I wouldn't be retiring," he said.

"He has a very impressive background, both as police chief and academically," Tarantolo said.

Jackson was appointed to the Eatontown Police Department in 1976, was promoted to sergeant in 1981, lieutenant in 1991, captain in 1994 and has served as chief of the department since spring 2005.

Jackson earned a Bachelor's Degree from Thomas Edison State College and a Master's Degree in administrative sciences from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and has earned certification as a public manager through Rutgers University and the N.J. Department of Personnel and graduated from the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va.

He also serves as an adjunct professor at both Fairleigh Dickinson and Brookdale Community College (Criminal Justice Department).

"He was an amazing police chief. All of the talent he possesses really gave us an outstanding Police Department," Tarantolo said.

"You tend to think of people who've been with the town for a while with the category they're already in, and we hadn't thought of him as an administrator until we started reviewing the applications," Lewis said.

Lewis said that Jersey Management was also very impressed with Jackson's credentials and background and said that if the borough didn't hire him, then Jersey Management wanted to keep him on a list of prospects for municipal managers.

"I always had it in the back of my mind that it was something I'd like to try and pursue after I retired [from] my police work, and the opportunity came up sooner than I anticipated," Jackson said.

"Having the new position right here in the town I work in is a huge bonus because I'm so familiar with the people and the governing body, so it's a great situation," he said.

Jackson said that Trotta, whom he calls his "mentor," encouraged him to pursue the position.

"I've known him for a long time working in this town, and I've always looked up to him. He's always been the guy who gave me advice," Jackson said.

Trotta said that Jackson's personality and work ethic are excellent and noted that good things will happen with him as the administrator.

"I had a terrific career in Eatontown and I loved working with the people and the council, and I'm very pleased that Jackson was selected to take over," Trotta said.

"I do however want to thank Kathee Stauffer, who has been the acting administrator for more than a year and a half since I left, because she has done an amazing job and she is to return as the assistant administrator when Jackson takes over," he said.

With Jackson replacing Trotta, the Police Department is now in search of a new chief.

"We have three staff officers on the administrative level that will all be interviewed for the position of chief. We want to do the interviews soon and have the new chief take over on Nov. 1," he said.