Morristown council approves yet another CFO; dueling 5Ks next year?

Morristown's new assistant treasurer, Katie Lorito, and new CFO, Frank Mason. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Morristown's new assistant treasurer, Katie Lorito, and new CFO, Frank Mason. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
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Morristown's new assistant treasurer, Katie Lorito, and new CFO, Frank Mason. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Morristown’s new assistant treasurer, Katie Lorito, and new CFO, Frank Mason. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Morristown is a place where municipal employees tend to spend their careers.

Except for chief financial officers.

On Tuesday, the town council gave its blessing to Frank Mason, the town’s fourth CFO since 2011.

Mayor Tim Dougherty hired him from Montclair to replace Ann Cucci, who left in August for a better offer in Parsippany after two years in Morristown.

Cucci had replaced Richard Cahill, who was hired from Woodbridge in January 2012 but jumped weeks later at an opportunity in Union County. Cahill had succeeded Robert Calise, who left in 2011 after nine years in Morristown for greener pastures with the state.

Got all that?

“We’re very grateful for the time Ann Cucci spent here,” the Mayor said after the council unanimously approved his hiring of Mason, who will earn $137,000.

When he interviewed Mason weeks ago, the Mayor said, he told Administrator Michael Rogers: “Don’t let him leave the building without making him an offer.”

The Mayor cited Mason’s “impeccable” resume, which includes stints as CFO in Red Bank and Montclair, a city with a budget roughly twice the size of Morristown’s, according to Rogers.

“His demeanor and performance were so glowing, that to me it was a no-brainer,” the Mayor said.

Mason, who holds an accounting degree from Seton Hall University, said he likes Morristown’s restaurants and history. His kids–ages 4,6 and 9–are fans of the dinosaur and bear exhibits at the Morris Museum in neighboring Morris Township, he said.

“This is a great opportunity. I’m very excited. Morristown is a great place,” Mason, a Cranford resident, said after a recent budget meeting. He started work here last month; Tuesday’s council vote cemented the Mayor’s selection.  Under the town’s form of government, the mayor hires his administrative team and the council is asked for consent.

Mason is getting some extra help, too. The Mayor has created the position of assistant treasurer, and filled it by hiring Katie Lorito from Parsippany, where she held the same title. Lorito started in September and will earn $64,000 a year in Morristown.

“Given the complexities of municipal finance, and all the daily transactions that take place in our government, there needs to be another layer, to help with these responsibilities on a day-to-day basis,” said Rogers, the town administrator.

Lorito holds an accounting degree from Berkeley College.  Like Mason, she professed a liking for Morristown’s dining options.

Despite all the musical chairs, Morristown’s finances have remained stable. This year’s $35.9 million budget marked the fourth straight year without a municipal tax hike.

Morristown's mayor, council and town officials post for a 2014 end-of-year picture. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Morristown’s mayor, council and town officials post for a 2014 end-of-year picture. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

 

IN OTHER BUSINESS…

The council heard pitches from two charity-minded organizations seeking permission to stage races on the same day next year.

Superhero Racing, which has been organizing races in and around Morristown for five years, and Running on Love, a Randolph-based nonprofit, each are eyeing Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015.

Chris Russo,  co-founder of Superhero Racing, said Morristown would be the start- and finish line for a half-marathon winding through Morris Township, Madison and Chatham. The date provides runners with an important tune-up for the New York City Marathon, he said, adding that his event could attract between 700 and 2,500 participants, benefiting local hotels and restaurants.  A portion of proceeds would be donated to the Community Soup Kitchen and area Little League organizations, Russo added.

Fairleigh Dickinson University graduate Lori Michelle founded Running On Love in 2009 to encourage people to donate to the charity of their choice.  She wants to hold a 5K in Morristown in Oct. 18, with a daylong “Festival of Love” in the town hall parking lot.

The council took no action on the requests, and won’t hold another regular meeting until Jan. 6, 2015.

(Members will meet at least once more this year, however. At a special redevelopment session this Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014, they will hear a builder’s updated proposal for apartments on DeHart Street.)

Council members posed for an end-of-year group picture and together wished residents a happy holiday season.

A video greeting from Morristown town hall

2 COMMENTS

  1. Let’s get is right on the taxes. There hasn’t been a tax increase not because the Mayor is managing well. It’s because there has been tremendous development, all planned and approved under the two Mayors before him. Now he spends like a drunken sailor with no investment in infrastructure just patronage jobs. The money is pouring into city hall from all the new revenue from the massive development. Where are the bike lanes, what is being planned regarding traffic, parking. We are coking on new development and what is Doughtery doing about tomorrow. NOTHING! spend it on jobs like the 137,000 CFO

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