^65 Main St. ~' awan. N.J. 07747 ☆ The Weekly Newspaper 2 0 C e n t s vol. 7 NO. 30 Thursday, June 2, 1977 Regan resigns as superintendent, to get $70,000 in severance pay By David Thaler during the next two years, it was learned. the district. stating its dissatisfaction with his perform­ discussed them last night at an executive MATAWAN Regan also will receive payment for fringe Appointed superintendent in 1971, Regan ance and the areas in which it expected session. Dr. John F. Regan has resigned as benefits, believed to be vacations and sick w as granted tenure in 1974. The board passed improvement. Under the Sunshine Law, the board does superintendent of schools, T h e Independent days, it was learned. a special resolution giving him tenure before At that point, the board was considering not have to permit the public to attend has learned. Ramsay Associates, a consulting firm he normally would have earned it, explaining trying to remove Regan for cause, an action meetings at which personnel matters are retained earlier this year to evaluate the that he had earned a vote of confidence. rarely taken against a superintendent of discussed: Regan’s resignation will be accepted by operation of the district’s central office, will But soon after he obtained tenure, a schools in N e w Jersey. R e g a n could not be reached for c o m m e n t the Board of Education at a meeting to be be authorized to search for candidates to majority of the nine board members became T h e board wa s told, however, that even if it last night. held a 8 tonight at the old Broad Street succeed Regan. disenchanted with him. T w o years ago, the succeeded in ousting Regan, it faced a long Only three of the incumbent board School, according to reliable sources, and The board also is expected to form a board withheld his salary increment, and and expensive legal battle. If Regan suc­ m e m b e r s w e r e in office w h e n R e g a n w a s Deputy Superintendent Anthony Nuccio will committee which will help screen the last year, it gave him what several me m b e r s ceeded in the battle to retain his job, the granted tenure. They are Board President be appointed acting superintendent. candidates. The committee, according to said w a s a cost-of-living increase. But with board w a s told, he would be entitled to the Judith Hurley, Michael Kidzus, and John The board will agree to pay Regan several sources, will include teachers, the most recent salary increase, Regan pay he would have received if he had Comerford. $70,000—the equivalent of two years salary— administrators, students, and residents of received a detailed letter from the board remained on the job while waiting for his day Ms. Hurley cast one of the two dissenting in court. votes on the resolution granting Regan In April, R e g a n agreed to consider tenure. The other negative vote was cast by resigning, if he and the board could negotiate Felicia Peters. T h e vote for tenure came an acceptable amount of severance pay. immediately before the annual school board Builder sues Marlboro Negotiations began immediately, it was election. T h e board apparently intended to learned. guarantee Regan tenure, regardless of the All nine board members reportedly agreed results of the election. that R e g a n should be replaced. Virtually all of the candidates, however, The terms of the agreement were com­ praised Regan’s performance as super­ for apartment variance pleted this week, and the board presumably intendent. John F. Regan By Lee Duigon The suit charges that the denial is invalid lawsuit,”-Badach said. “We were well within MARLBORO because it was predicated upon assumptions the deadline.” • which have no basis in fact, w a s contrary to Croddick said he didn’t know about the suit Better security promised A developer w h o wants to build a 200-unit garden apartment complex on a 16-acre tract law, and denied the firm due process. because he hadn’t been served with any off Route 520 has filed a suit challenging the T he suit also charges that Marlboro’s lack papers. Zoning Board’s decision to deny him a of provision for multifamily housing consti­ “I do n ’t know w h y it took so long to serve variance. tutes exclusionary zoning. the papers on the township,” he said. “It State prison farm to stay could be because the firm just changed The developer, Heer-Lenwall Realty Inc., “We threw that last count in, realizing that attorneys.” a local firm, w a s denied a variance for the Judge Lane has already ma d e his decision,” By Lee Duigon B a d a c h said he “just came on the case” will help decide which prisoners are good confined perpetually under maximu m se­ project in April. The property is currently B a d a c h said. “It’s a m o o t point.” MARLBORO security risks. zoned for residential use. after the firm’s original attorney left to take curity will b e c o m e so adapted to prison life “I think we have a good case strictly on the another job. Although security measures at the Rah­ Rahway State Prison Superintendent Rob­ that they cannot adjust to freedom. “Ho w can he sue us?” Council President way State Prison farm will be improved, variance application,” he continued. “The In his resolution, Croddick said the Heer- ert Hatrack promised to notify the State “I know cases of guys wh o have come out Lawrence Grossman wondered. “He can’t neighboring communities should not expect land is ideally suited for multifamily Lenwall firm ha d no legal standing as a Police baracks in Colts Neck immediately of prison and can’t even go into a diner and upset a zoning ordinance that’s already the state to close the minimum security when a prisoner escapes from the camp. The before the court." housing. It’s on a county road, with easy corporation because “an examination of order a me a l lor themselves’,’ Mulcahy said. access to other parts of town, and it’s not facility,Dept, of Corrections Commissioner policy had been to notify the Marlboro Police The township’s zoning ordinance, which public records reveals that the corporate Msfyor Arthur Gold' * t asked, “Is there near a residential area.” charter of Heer-Iinwall Realty Co., Inc. w a s Hubert Mu l c ah y told officials from Marlboro, and then the State Police,who would send out makes no provision for multifamily housing, teletype messages to locai barracks. any way you can have minimum security (at T h e suit w a s filed M a y 18. forfeited for non-payment of franchise taxes Colts Neck, and Freehold Township at a was overturned last year by Superior Court Tuesday night meeting. Mulcahy said he would be available to the camp) with m a xim um security around Judge Merritt Lane. Judge Lane gave the Councilman John Croddick has intended to on Jan. 5, 1976.” it?” local officials by telephone and would m e e t township until July to change the ordinance, introduce a resolution tonight asking the “That’s n e w s to m e , ” B a d a c h said. “Th e Also, Mulcahy said, the state will not with t h e m in e m e r g e n c y situations. If he “That would undermine the whole purpose but the township has appealed the case and state to revoke a right-of-way covenant councilman is probably 100 percent wrong.” restrict the inmate population of the camp to were not available,he added.Hatrack would of the m i n i m u m security facility .which is to Grossman expects to get a stay of the order granted to Heer-Lenwell on the assumption “I looked that up not long ago,” Croddick prisoners who have committed only non­ represent h i m at meetings. help reintegrate prisoners into society” until the appeal is heard. that the property would be developed for said, “but they could have gone down in one violent crimes. The commissioner promised to meet M u lca hy said. “When we send an inmate to a Heer-Lenwall’s attorney, Francis Badach, apartments. day and paid their taxes.” The state is committed to a policy of “periodically” with local officials to discuss m i n i m u m security camp , w e realize that Lakewood, said it is not necessarily in his The covenant should be revoked, Croddick Grossman said the firm’s corporate status rehabilitating offenders to enable them to security at the prison farm,reviewing prob­ w e ’re taking a certain risk. But we have to do client’s interest to wait for a n e w zoning said, because the firm did not m ee t the would not alter the right of its stockholders to re-enter society, M u l c a h y said, and the lems, answering questions, and listening to everything we can to help the inmate make it deadline for filing an appeal of the Zoning sue the township. m i n i m u m security farm is needed as a tool of ordinance to be adopted.