This is not breaking news....

I met Rob Kelly and learned a little bit about what he does every day. He was as nice as could be, and it was obvious his head was chock full of vital information. I can't imagine the big gap his absence will leave, and I really hope that the town has thought through how a solid transition plan can be executed to have someone else take over his duties without any interruption to vital services, particularly police and rescue services. I'm not surprised by his comment that was quoted in the article. I'd feel the same way, and would probably just disappear overnight unless a very large sum of money was involved to keep me around to train my successor.

just a suggestion ... please do not do the BREAKING NEWS thing all the time ... we get enough "instant alerts" that are not very important ... if you keep saying BREAKING NEWS and it's not really BREAKING NEWS no one will listen .... sorry to be critical ... we really love the PATCH <3

Wow - long valley has their own it guy? My company websites are a lot more impressive and they don't require a full time employee. How fantastic to have unlimited funds.

Hey Tom and NTG - Thanks for the comments, but we have a reason behind why the breaking news alert was used on this story. Actually, there are two:

1.) Originally, the decision and action was going to be made in the executive session portion of Wednesday night's work session, which would have kept the information private from press and public until an OPRA request was made. Bob Kelly requested the committee hold the discussion in the open portion, making the information immediately available for publication.

2.) This is a public employee we're discussing; someone whose compensation comes from your property tax dollars. The committee is saying there will be a substantial savings (we're waiting on details of those savings). That information alone impacts your wallets specifically as a Washington Township taxpayer, and we felt it necessary to inform you of such as soon as we could.

Thanks for the comments!

While everyone is in favor of cutting money, when employees are involved, they should first be given the decency of learning in advance of their firing - or at least not have it on the open agenda or in a public meeting. It's only fair and just. I'm also not convinced shared services for everything works out well. IT is essential, so let's see how successful this is long-term.

Tracy - My apologies for misinterpreting your statement. Thanks for clarifying.

I think a headline " Webmaster Fired" is not accurate. The position was outsourced. Getting fired is what happened to Homer Simpson when he caused a gas leak at the Power Plant.

Outsourcing IT positions has been happening in the corporate world since Y2K. This is nothing that anyone should be surprised about.

As one of the many families that have fled NJ because of the outrageous property taxes and electricity rates I continue to be interested in Long Valley. We really enjoyed living there for 19 years however with property taxes nearing $16K I couldn't stay . We're now in lovely Cumming GA with $4,500 taxes for a larger house and 7 cent electric rates even in summer. And best yet when I reach 65 I no longer pay for school taxes so my taxes drop to $1500 per year -unreal. Grandma and grandpa can actually stay near their families and not have to flee to FL . I can't help to think that in a way this is not good for our culture. I was just talking to a 16 year old transfer student from Germany and the entire extended family lived next to each other in houses they have owned for many years - high taxes have more than a monetary cost to our culture. Gary Christopher

to tom lolito janitors do make 100k

As with many decisions made by the twp., I feel this 'snap decision' to switch to another IT plan was done inappropriately. An assessment and analysis of needs should be done first, followed by an overview of those interested, competent and capable in fulfilling these needs. Who says that the Mt. Olive IT guy was the best decision for the Twp.? Its sounds like this was done very haphazardly. There could have been a better decision made if an assessment was made to begin with. Maybe there are others out there that could have provided even more service and/or been at a better cost. Why does the committee not review the best options instead of just grabbing at the first thing that comes along? Frankly, I would have preferred to have this decision be more open for public input and ideas and have someone be considered who is local to make sure our local interests are met first. What does Tracy know about IT requirements anyway? Remember the guy he was running against? yeah - Joe Keyes - well, despite his democratic ticket (which will forever vilify him in the eyes of some), he also made his livlihood in IT - remember? Well, it would have been smart for the twp. committee to ask people like Joe (and maybe others who might be in that field), to review the specs. for the job. Not everything has to be done without thinking it through. It ends up costing $ in the long run.

Having worked with Bob in the past, I can say without hesitiation, he was an asset to the town. I wish Bob the best in his future endeavors.

b.s.

Isn't that a conflict of interest to hire the Mt Olive IT person for Washington Township on a seperate contract?

Maybe Bob should submit a proposal together to eliminate the mt olive it position. Why arent they looking to cut costs like long valley.