New Ocean Township clerk to start Monday
Deborah Smith steps down as clerk after 26 years of service
BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer

OCEANTOWNSHIP- Anewclerkwill begin serving the township on Monday, filling the position vacated last week by Deborah Smith.

The TownshipCouncil appointedVincent G. Buttiglieri, a former South Plainfield councilman, borough clerk and business administrator, to replace Smith.

Buttiglieri officially assumes the new titleMarch 10.

Smith stepped down from the post Feb. 29 after serving as the township clerk for more than two decades.

"Debbie has been an individual that we will never be able to replace," Ocean Township MayorWilliam Larkin said at the Feb. 20 council meeting.

"You will not find a more dedicated employee," he said, adding, "It's not an eighthour day or a 40-hour week. It's whatever it takes to get the job done."

Buttiglieri was chosen out of a pool of nearly 80 applicants, according to Ocean Township Business Administrator Andrew Brannen,who said that he is "excited" about the new appointment.

"I think he is going to be a real asset to the organization,"Brannensaid. "Hebringsalot of experienceandseems tobeareal teamplayer."

Smith announced her decision to step down as clerk in January.

In addition to serving as clerk for 26 years, Smith has held several positions in the township, including in the police department, tax collector's and assessor's office, and the health department.

Buttiglieri said in an interviewlastweek that he is confident hewill be able to perform well as Smith's successor.

"Debbie has done a tremendous job, and it's quite easy because I can step in and carry forward the great tradition she has set," Buttiglieri said.

"I'mvery excited," he said. "Ocean Township is a greatmunicipality. Debbie has laid a very solid groundwork that I look to step into and build upon."

Buttiglieriwas appointed for a three-year term and will be paid $92,000 a year, Brannen said.

The contract will be renegotiated every three years at the township's re-organization meeting, Brannen said.

Buttiglieri, who previously worked for South Amboy, said the biggest challenge for him will be the transition from a bipartisan council to a nonpartisan council.

Brannen said Buttiglieri stood out from the rest of the applicants because of his background.

"He had extensive experience as a clerk in a similar-sized community," Brannon said. Buttiglieri worked for the New Jersey Highway Authority (NJHA) as an internal auditor and cost and budget accountant from 1989 to 2001.

He served as a councilman on the South Plainfield Borough Council from 1995 to 2000, and in 2001 he was named as the borough clerk.

In 2002, Buttiglieri was also named the borough's business administrator.