As reported by NJ.com, Hamilton Mayor Kelly Yaede met with the Township firefighters’ unions two years ago about consolidation and said she is pleased to finally see petitions going to taxpayers to start the process.  The mayor, though, believes the unions which are spearheading the effort should be seeking signatures in all districts, including District 3.  The mayor also wants to see the State of New Jersey study the Township’s fire service.

To this end, Yaede said she’s reached out to the Department of Community Affairs to see if they will conduct a study of Township fire services and make specific recommendations regarding firehouses, equipment and personnel levels, as well as the most efficient way to organize a new fire service.  And such a study, Yaede said, “should have occurred prior to the circulation of petitions so that taxpayers could benefit from a complete and detailed plan to help them make an informed decision that is in our community’s best interests.”  She also indicated, “My hope is for the [DCA] to be willing to conduct this study at no additional cost to Hamilton taxpayers.”

The Township’s career firefighters’ unions announced a plan for consolidation that calls for consolidation of the districts, with District 3 being the surviving district and becoming Township-wide.  Several districts say they believe in consolidation, but with a new district, not District 3 as the surviving district.

Ed Donnelly, president of the State’s Firefighters’ Mutual Benevolent Association (“FMBA”), which is assisting the Township’s two local unions, said the consolidation process is in the early stages and it’s about residents right now.  “There is no hardcore plan in place right now,” Donnelly said.  “All this is the FMBA unions who are willing to start the process, and we’re taking it to the residents.”  Donnelly also said the petitions need to be signed to further the process, which he said will take place over a long period of time with a thorough discussion and debate.  “We don’t want to play politics and we don’t want another layer of bureaucracy with the DCA,” he said.  “I understand everyone’s fears, frustrations and issues, but we’re trying to find out if there’s a will of the residents.”

Donnelly said the issue has been bouncing around Hamilton for 20 years.  “And we the union are taking the initiative to start the process,” he said.

Please continue to check this blog periodically to ascertain updates regarding the potential consolidation.

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DONALD C. BARBATI, JR.

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.