Jersey Journal

HOBOKEN, N.J. — Public Safety Director Bill Bergin culminated a tumultuous first two weeks in office by locking out Fire Chief John Cassesa.

Cassesa, who returned from an extended vacation last week to discover his inner office door was padlocked, did not return several messages seeking comment.

The lockout came after a request from Bergin to examine sick and vacation records for every fire and police employee. The fire department records are computerized, but the paper records are stored in Cassesa's office.

"The lock was done for no other reason than to secure records so that I could, as the new public safety director, prepare what I need to perform my job," he said.

Bergin and Cassesa are currently in discussions over how much the chief will be paid in unused vacation time when he retires in June, Bergin said.

On Dec. 1, after Cassesa told Bergin he would extend his vacation, Bergin decided he had to put the padlock on the door as "the quickest and cheapest way" to upgrade security. It was done "not to insult Chief Cassesa," but to make sure the records would still be there when Cassesa got back, Bergin said.

The padlock also means Bergin can keep track of who has the keys. He said he gave one to Cassesa on Wednesday, after he came back to work.

Cassesa has a secretary in the outer office, but she can't be at her desk every second of the day, Bergin said.

Meanwhile, Cassesa is in negotiations to secure his payout when he retires in June. Cassesa's annual salary of $180,416 made him the highest-paid municipal employee in Hudson County, according to a Jersey Journal survey in 2005 — and that was before the City Council voted this summer to give him a 3.5 percent raise.

Cassesa has served in the Fire Department for 39 years, becoming fire chief in 1994.

Accrued time includes unused vacation as well as "terminal leave" pay — retiring firefighters get paid an extra five days for each year worked (at their current salary). However, the payout is limited to one year's salary, and for this reason, Cassesa is trying to use his remaining vacation.

Former Fire Chief Richard Tremitiedi said he disapproved of the padlock.

"If the facts are that the lock was put on without any discussion, that's poor communication," he said.

Bergin, a 31-year Fire Department veteran who retired in 1991 at the rank of deputy chief, was hired to oversee the Police and Fire departments in the wake of the scandal involving the now disbanded SWAT team's Hurricane Katrina relief mission. 

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