Three members of Montclair’s township council have responded to the whistleblower complaint filed by Chief Financial Officer Padmaja Rao in which she alleges that Town Manager Timothy Stafford perpetuated a "severe and pervasive hostile work environment” and retaliated against her for speaking up about potentially illegal actions by town employees.
In her complaint, she said that Stafford has treated other former female department heads in the same “demeaning and derogatory” way, and that several have quit for that reason.
On Thursday, Mayor Sean Spiller issued a statement saying that he takes allegations of harassment seriously and would propose putting Stafford on administrative leave at Tuesday’s town council meeting until an investigation is concluded.
He said that Rao’s allegations “had not been previously brought to the attention of the council.”
Stafford, who has an annual salary of $143,000, would remain on the payroll during the investigation, Spiller said in a separate email, and Deputy Manager Brian Scantlebury would become acting township manager.
An employment law firm has been hired to investigate the harassment allegations and he will propose also hiring a consulting firm to assess the administration’s workplace climate and culture, the statement read.
Councilor Peter Yacobellis took issue with the idea that Rao's allegations were unknown to the council.
He said the problem “was at a very high level” and that Spiller “hasn't been willing to make a change in...
Independent researchers and French authorities have identified a raft of false content focusing on two former prime ministers who intend to run in next year's presidential race. France's preside...