Township administrator Marc Dashield told Baristanet that the changes wouldn’t be noticeable to residents, but in around 30 days (the clock started ticking sometime last week) Montclair’s Safety & Code Enforcement department will no longer exist, and Director Frank Leslie will be out of a job. “It’s part of an elimination plan,” said Dashield, who explained that Leslie wasn’t fired for cause, but was dismissed due to budget constraints.

Dashield said that the different functions of the Safety and Code Enforcement department would be divvied up to three other offices: Inspection will go to the Fire Department (in the Fire Prevention Bureau), Environmental Affairs will go to the Health Department and Risk Management will move to Purchasing.

“It’s mostly an administrative change,” Dashield said in a phone interview. “Montclair residents won’t even know it happened, except that when they call and ask for a code enforcement official, they’ll get someone in the fire department.”

Leslie’s job cut is part of the second round of layoffs to affect the department. Previously, two code enforcement officials were let go. Speaking to us from his office, Leslie — a Montclair resident himself — stated that he understands the extreme financial hardships that have hit the town, however he wasn’t quite as certain as Dashield about the changes not being noticeable.

“It’s hard to gauge,” he said. “I told the council last March, after those first layoffs, that it would be difficult for us to function and patrol the town as thoroughly with fewer people. Hopefully, now that the the department is being parceled out, they’ll still be able to work effectively through these other departments, but it won’t be the same as having one central person overseeing the whole operation.”

Leslie, said that the rest of his staff will keep their jobs, and that his department has done a good job over the years. “Montclair is much better off now than it was 6 1/2 years ago,” he said.

Leslie, who has been a town employee since May of 1999, has also served as the town’s Affirmative Action Officer. It isn’t clear who will take on this role. While his plans for the future are uncertain — he’ll take some time off and consider his options — Leslie appears to have a bigger perspective on the situation. “These things happen,” he said.

Given the recent firing of Montclair’s construction official Robert McLoughlin, the state’s probes into Mayor Fried’s alleged political interference improprieties, and delays in establishing a shared services contract with Glen Ridge, there has certainly been a lot of upheaval in the municipal building sector lately.

Despite Dashield’s assurances, are you worried about the fire department doing double duty as code enforcement?

Related Posts:

• A Look At Crime Reports for Montclair, Glen Ridge and Bloomfield
• Montclair Construction Official Says Fried is “Running the Show”
• CCM: “Dashield’s Numbers Don’t Add Up”