Colleen Crippen

VILLAS — Lower Township Grants Coordinator Colleen Crippen was fired, effective August 1, by Township Manager Joe Jackson, one day after township council approved its 2008 budget.

Two councilmen told the Herald they were unaware of the township manager’s plan to fire Crippen.

There was no mention of the firing at a June 16 council meeting where an additional $33,000 was cut from the township budget.
Councilman Wayne Mazurek told the Herald he was not informed on plans to fire Crippen. He said council did not make such a decision.

“I told Joe I did not support his decision,” said Mazurek. “I think she was doing a good job for us and if they had issues, they should have been discussed with us.”

He said he wasn’t aware Crippen had been fired until he received a phone call from Councilman Glenn Douglass asking if he was aware of the situation.

“Her salary is in the budget, we approved her salary,” said Mazurek.

He said he had no problem considering the elimination of a township position when someone retires but he did not advocate anyone losing their job.

“I don’t think our budget is so far out of control that we have to start laying people off,” said Mazurek. “I’d like to cut stuff before we cut people.”

Crippen earned $53,800 and also served as assistant township treasurer.

Douglass told the Herald he was “totally against what’s going on,” and he was investigating if proper procedure was used to fire Crippen.

He said Jackson was acting without the approval of full council and he has asked Jackson to rescind the firing.

“Recently, we announced there was going to be no layoffs, why all of a sudden this came up?” said Douglass.

Jackson did not return calls from the Herald.

At a May 19 council meeting, Deputy Mayor Robert Nolan suggested Crippen’s position be eliminated. He said other towns received just as many grants without a grants coordinator position.

In an interview last year, Crippen told the Herald she brought in nearly $1 million per year in grant money. Since 1998, her work has brought the township nearly $10 million.

Crippen said her job was to find free money for the township and for low-income residents who need help fixing up their homes. Crippen started with the township as coordinator for the Neighborhood Preservation Program (NPP).

A five-year NPP for the area from Hudson Avenue to Caroline brought in $1 million in grant money

Without a grants coordinator, according the Department of Community Affairs regulations, the NPP program will be suspended, as will loans for items such as emergency roof repairs.

The Mulligan Greens Resident’s Association was created as part of the program. Part of Crippen’s job was administering Small Cities housing grants, which are no interest loans with no payments for homeowners.

The largest part of Crippen’s job was managing the grants once they are received, she said last year, “making sure the money is being spent properly.”

Crippen also administered grants for small businesses, drug and alcohol awareness and arts programs for youth, recycling, and police programs.

She told the Herald her dream was an affordable housing program for the township that would both help a person purchase a home and make needed repairs.

Crippen also coordinated the Lower Cape Alliance with provided funding for drug and alcohol education programs.

Contact Fichter at (609) 886-8600 ext. 30 or at: jfichter@cmcherald.com