Though it was a decision deemed controversial by some, nobody from the township was present at the Mayor & Council meeting to voice any objections to the appointment of West Caldwell police chief Michael Bramhall as acting Administrator.
He replaces Jock Watkins, who has served the town for over thirty years. Watkins will be entering administrative leave as he decides on his next move, whether that be a move of retirement or a change of position to a less active role. According to Mayor Tempesta, Bramhall’s appointment will not be to a lame duck position, and he’ll be taking full control as Administrator starting immediately.
“We want to capitalize on the opportunity that has presented itself here. We’re not looking at Mike as a substitute teacher. We’re looking at Mike to fully exercise the power of that position.”
Bramhall will not be working alone; the committee has also appointed an Assistant Administrator to take control of various departments, effectively splitting Administrator duties among the two. That position will be filled by Will Wallace. Bramhall’s day to day duties as police chief, meanwhile, will be handled by the Captain of Police Gerard Paris, who will continue to keep Bramhall informed of police business in his absence.
Council President Stephen Wolsky believes that Bramhall’s experience as Police Chief makes him a suitable person for the role of Administrator during this short time, citing the size of the department and its budget.
“Certainly there’s a number of different department heads we could have selected from. Chief Bramhall has the largest department and the largest budget; we thought it just made the most sense to put him in charge of the township for this short period.”
Once approved, the Chief took his seat amongst the rest of the council, immediately cementing his new role as Administrator, a position he will be serving during what’s been cited multiple times by the council as a key time for West Caldwell as it heads into the future.
“I will do the best job I can, in the best interests of the township of West Caldwell in the position, and I thank you very much for the opportunity,” Bramhall said to the council at the close of the meeting.
To read previous article about this position, click here.
