NBC10 searched for answers from a South Jersey mayor Wednesday after township officials say he orchestrated the layoffs of two police department employees including an officer who responded when he was charged with DWI over the summer.
"You don’t have anything to say? This is about the police officer who was laid off," asked NBC10’s Rosemary Connors.
With no response, Greenwich Township Mayor Fred Grant got back in his car and took off.
"You can run, but we’re going to keep chasing you," Connors said. "We’ve got questions."
This was the second time NBC10 tried to get answers from Grant. He was charged with DWI last summer after was he allegedly caught speeding at 91 mph in a 45-mph zone on Kings Highway in Gloucester County and failed a breathalyzer test.
A part-time township officer who responded to the scene of the mayor’s DWI arrest was recently laid off.
"The part-time officer is probably one of the best that we have on the force and it’s unfortunate to see what has taken place," East Greenwich Township committeeman Sam Giordano said.
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Giordano -- a Democrat like the mayor -- said the township committee voted over the weekend to approve the listed municipal staff for 2013. Giordano insists he, along with other committee members, had no idea the mayor had removed the police officer and another police department employee from the list.
"I’m the department head and I had no clue," Giordano said.
The department anticipated possible cuts, but not at this point.
"No one was properly notified, so everyone came in as business as usual and that’s what i have a hard time with, knowing that people come into work expecting they have a job and this is what occurs," Giordano said.
Grant didn’t respond to Connors’ questions about the layoffs possibly being a conflict of interest.
Grant’s DWI trial has already been postponed several times.
