Bussiness
Paterson mayor to lose key aide as business administrator takes new post
2-minute read
Paterson Animal Shelter gives pet gifts in annual distribution: Video
Paterson Animal Shelter hosts 7th annual holiday pet gift distribution at the Louise Fava Animal Shelter in Paterson on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024.
PATERSON — Mayor Andre Sayegh is losing one of his key people at City Hall with the impending resignation of Kathleen Long, the city business administrator, who is taking another job.
Long has been the only city official to remain part of Sayegh’s inner circle from the time he took office in July 2018, working as his chief of staff for the first 18 months and then serving as the municipal business administrator for the past five years.
Sayegh repeatedly praised Long’s work during that time, but the mayor’s critics — particularly Councilman Michael Jackson — often attacked Long’s job performance, especially after she received a $50,000 raise in 2022, which boosted her salary to $160,000.
Story continues below photo gallery.
The Sayegh administration had been keeping Long’s imminent departure quiet, but the news leaked out on Monday when Councilman Luis Velez said she “would be missed” during the governing body’s wrap-up meeting for 2024.
Long’s departure comes at a time of uncertainty over what Sayegh plans to do when his current term ends in 2026. He has not revealed whether he will run for a third term or relinquish his hold on City Hall to run for Congress.
The Sayegh administration has not yet disclosed where Long will be working next. Several council members said they have been told Long has taken a job at the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, the state office that oversees Paterson’s finances as one of the conditions for the extra funding Trenton provides to the city.
“I think she made a smart move,” Velez said of Long’s resignation. “It’s like she’s guaranteeing her future.”
Velez said his understanding is that Long will supervise the local government fiscal monitors in the DCA’s transitional aide program, which provides cities with chronic deficits the money they need to balance their budgets.
Councilwoman Lilisa Mimms said she was “not surprised” by Long’s plans to leave City Hall, considering the fact that others among Sayegh’s inner circle also have resigned their Paterson jobs over the past five years.
City officials said Sayegh is conducting a national search for Long’s replacement. Her resignation will take effect later in January, council members said.
Velez said Paterson’s next business administrator should not expect to get paid the same $160,000 salary that Long received. Velez noted that the salary range for the position is between $110,000 and $160,000.
“It should be somewhere between $110,000 and $125,000,” Velez said of the new hire’s pay.
New Orleans all-metro football large schools’ team headlined by two Edna Karr standouts
Warren Buffett dumped stocks, built a $300 billion cash pile, and updated his death plan in 2024. Here are his 6 highlights.
Microsoft certifications can boost your skills in job fields like IT, AI, data science, and more. Here’s how they work.
Here’s what to expect for raises, promotions, and job-seeking in 2025
25 TikTok-Approved Travel Items That Reviewers Will “Never Travel Without”
‘Aspen Idea’ alive and well
Layoffs coming to US jobs market in 2025
La Liga club chase Celtic winger – gossip
Bosgana and Stanford host Clemson
