Politics & Government

Police Promotion Will Have Consequences, Protestors Warn Politicians

Strumolo's attorney and police from other towns caution that the town would be tied up in lawsuits and that politicians will be voted out of office.

Most of the comments at the Tuesday night Nutley Board of Commissioners meeting were praise for Capt. Thomas Strumolo and arguments for promoting him to chief. But some instead outlined the consequences for not promoting him to the position.

Passing him over, they said, would result in Nutley losing money and local politicians losing elections.

Kara MacKenzie, the attorney representing Strumolo, said her client doesn’t want to sue Nutley.

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“Everyone loses when litigation goes on for several years,” she said, adding that court actions would cost Nutley money.

Nutley does not directly pay out successful legal actions brought against the township. As is common practice for municipalities, it has an insurance policy designated for legal awards.

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Township officials declined to discuss the merits or details of her case.

“We’re not going to talk about pending legislation,” Township Attorney Kevin Harkins said. “We’ve not going to get into a back and forth about it.”

John Sierchio, a sergeant from the Bloomfield Police Department, said he believed the situation facing Nutley was similar to one he experienced in Bloomfield. Sierchio said in 2009, Bloomfield officials backed a candidate for chief Sierchio described as the “No. 2 candidate.”

That choice, he said, led to a $300,000-plus PBA lawsuit (that he said he benefited from) and a political sea change when police turned out to vote against the politicians who favored the No. 2 candidate the next election.

“All four of them are out now,” Sierchio said. “They’re sitting at home on the couch during council meetings.”


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