As reported by NJ.com, Trenton officials are interviewing 18 candidates for the position of police director and 17 candidates for the job of fire director.

Acting Police Director Ernest Parrey, Jr. was brought in to interview for the position he has held since July.  Parrey said he knew when he took the job in an acting capacity that he would have to reapply for the position. “I thought it went OK,” said Parrey of the interview.  “Now at least they will get the candidates in and they can compare where I stand.” Parrey said some officers expressed concern about the requirement that he re-interview for the job, but he tried to put them at ease.  “Like I told everyone else-this is the process,” he said.

Qareeb Bashir was appointed Fire Director in 2011 under former Mayor Tony Mack despite criticism from Councilman George Muschal, who still holds a spot on the council.  When Mayor Eric Jackson came into office in July, he reverted Bashir back to an acting director and said he would evaluate all candidates for the position.

Trenton spokesman Michael Walker said the administration hopes to complete the evaluations and bring a candidate for each position to the City Council for final approval in about 45 days.  The city advertised the positions this summer, shortly after Mayor Jackson took office.  Jackson had previously said he hoped to bring candidates for police and fire director to the Council by January.  Walker said there were many other resumes submitted, but the personnel office narrowed the group to 18 police director and 17 fire director candidates deemed qualified.

The leadership committee-made up of Business Administrator Terry McEwen, Chief of Staff Francis Blanco, and Law Director David Minchello-will be interviewing the candidates.  The committee will recommend two candidates for each position to Jackson, who will make the final selection that will be put before the Council.

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Photo of Donald C. Barbati Donald C. Barbati

Donald C. Barbati is a shareholder of Crivelli, Barbati & DeRose, L.L.C. His primary practice revolves around the representation of numerous public employee labor unions in various capacities to include contract negotiation, unfair labor practice litigation, contract grievance arbitration, and other diverse issues…

Donald C. Barbati is a shareholder of Crivelli, Barbati & DeRose, L.L.C. His primary practice revolves around the representation of numerous public employee labor unions in various capacities to include contract negotiation, unfair labor practice litigation, contract grievance arbitration, and other diverse issues litigated before the courts and administrative tribunals throughout the State of New Jersey. In addition, Mr. Barbati also routinely represents individuals in various types of public pension appeals, real estate transactions, and general litigation matters. He is a frequent contributor to the New Jersey Public Safety Officers Law Blog, a free legal publication designed to keep New Jersey public safety officers up-to-date and informed about legal issues pertinent to their profession. During his years of practice, Mr. Barbati has established a reputation for achieving favorable results for his clients in a cost-efficient manner.

Mr. Barbati has also handled numerous novel legal issues while representing New Jersey Public Safety Officers. Most notably, he served as lead counsel for the Appellants in the published case In re Rodriguez, 423 N.J. Super. 440 (App. Div. 2011). In that case, Mr. Barbati successfully argued on behalf of the Appellants, thereby overturning the Attorney General’s denial of counsel to two prison guards in a civil rights suit arising from an inmate assault. In the process, the Court clarified the standard to be utilized by the Attorney General in assessing whether a public employee is entitled to legal representation and mandated that reliance must be placed on up-to-date information.

Prior to becoming a practicing attorney, Mr. Barbati served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Linda R. Feinberg, Assignment Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Mercer Vicinage. During his clerkship Mr. Barbati handled numerous complex and novel substantive and procedural issues arising from complaints in lieu of prerogative writs, orders to show cause, and motion practice. These include appeals from decisions by planning and zoning boards and local government bodies, bidding challenges under the Local Public Contract Law, Open Public Records Act requests, the taking of private property under the eminent domain statute, and election law disputes. In addition, Mr. Barbati, as a certified mediator, mediated many small claims disputes in the Special Civil Part.

Mr. Barbati received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, magna cum laude, from Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Upon graduating, Mr. Barbati attended Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware. In 2007, he received his juris doctorate, magna cum laude, graduating in the top five percent of his class. During law school, Mr. Barbati interned for the Honorable Joseph E. Irenas, Senior United States District Court Judge for the District of New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey, assisting on various constitutional, employment, and Third Circuit Court of Appeals litigation, including numerous civil rights, social security, and immigration cases.