Disclosable payroll information (20221121-01.txt)
Please accept this as my request for government records under both OPRA and the common law right of access. Thank you very much for your commitment to transparent government.
BACKGROUND
This is a request for the disclosable personnel information specified in N.J.S.A. 47:1A-10. One of the pieces of information requested below is the "payroll record" of a public employee. I invite your attention to pp 3 to 5 of the December 18, 2012 Findings and Recommendations of the Executive Director in Gregory Havlusch, Jr. v. Borough of Allenhurst (Monmouth), Government Records Council Complaint No. 2011-243. (see page 9 of the 11-page pdf at this link: https://bit.ly/PayrollRecord) The Executive Director wrote that "an employee's payroll records should include information that will allow a person to determine whether an employee took a leave of absence, the dates of the leave, whether it was paid, and if so, the amount of salary received for the paid leave of absence." I'd like all this information regarding Wall Township Police Officer/Sergeant James Cadigan that is the subject of this request. So, if Officer/Sergeant James Cadigan was on leave during the period specified, please provide these details.
RECORDS REQUESTED:
1. For Officer/Sergeant James Cadigan, his or her "name, title, position, most recent annual salary, length of service, date of separation and the reason therefor." (See N.J.S.A. 47:1A-10).
2. For Officer/Sergeant James Cadigan, his: "payroll record" pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-10 covering the period beginning May 1, 2022 and ending November 21, 2022.
The Township of Wall is in receipt of your OPRA request and will respond within the statutory time required by N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq.
Keri Pagnoni, RMC, CMR
Deputy Clerk, Deputy Registrar
2700 Allaire Road
Wall, NJ 07719
(732)449-8444 ext. 2262
Fax: (732)449-8992
Visit us at http://wallnj.com/211/Clerks-Office
The Township received your Open Public Records Act (“OPRA”) request on November 22, 2022. The Township will require a one-business day extension following receipt of a request that records custodians are allowed prior to granting access to a government record pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(i). You can expect to receive the Township’s response to your OPRA request on or about November 23, 2022, accordingly.
For ease of reference, your OPRA request seeks the following:
1. For Officer/Sergeant James Cadigan, his or her "name, title, position, most recent annual salary, length of service, date of separation and the reason therefor." (See N.J.S.A. 47:1A-10).
2. For Officer/Sergeant James Cadigan, his: "payroll record" pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-10 covering the period beginning May 1, 2022 and ending November 21, 2022.
Roberta M. Lang, RMC, CMR
Township Clerk, Registrar of Vital Statistics
2700 Allaire Road Wall NJ 07719
(732)449-8444 extension 2200
Visit us at http://wallnj.com/211/Clerks-Office
The Township received your Open Public Records Act (“OPRA”) request on November 22, 2022; the Township advised that it would require a one-business day extension to, today November 23, 2022, as such the Township is providing response. The Township will require an additional three-business day extension that records custodians are allowed prior to granting access to a government record pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(i). You can expect to receive the Township’s response to your OPRA request on or about November 30, 2022, accordingly.
For ease of reference, your OPRA request seeks the following:
1. For Officer/Sergeant James Cadigan, his or her "name, title, position, most recent annual salary, length of service, date of separation and the reason therefor." (See N.J.S.A. 47:1A-10).
2. For Officer/Sergeant James Cadigan, his: "payroll record" pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-10 covering the period beginning May 1, 2022 and ending November 21, 2022.
Keri Pagnoni, RMC, CMR
Deputy Clerk, Deputy Registrar
2700 Allaire Road
Wall, NJ 07719
(732)449-8444 ext. 2262
Fax: (732)449-8992
Visit us at http://wallnj.com/211/Clerks-Office
Dear Mr. Paff:
The Township of Wall (“Township”) records custodian received your Open Public Records Act (“OPRA”) and common law request (“Request”) on November 22, 2022. The seven-business day deadline to respond to your Request is December 5, 2022. Notwithstanding, on November 23, 2022, the Township advised that you can expect to receive a response on or about November 30, 2022. As such, the Township is timely responding to your Request in accordance with New Jersey law.
Your Request seeks the following:
1. For Officer/Sergeant James Cadigan, his or her "name, title, position, most recent annual salary, length of service, date of separation and the reason therefor." (See N.J.S.A. 47:1A-10).
2. For Officer/Sergeant James Cadigan, his: "payroll record" pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-10 covering the period beginning May 1, 2022, and ending November 21, 2022.
With respect to item 1, the requested information consists of the following:
A) Name: James J. Cadigan
B) Title/Position: Police Sergeant
3) Most Recent Annual Salary: $171,759.68
4) Length of Service: 16 years and 11 months (Hire Date 12/15/2005)
5) Date of Separation and the Reason Therefor: N/A as Sergeant Cadigan is still employed.
With respect to item 2, enclosed please find Sergeant Cadigan’s payroll record for the requested time period.
Your Request is now deemed answered and closed. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Roberta M. Lang, RMC, CMR
Township Clerk, Registrar of Vital Statistics
2700 Allaire Road Wall NJ 07719
(732)449-8444 extension 2200
Visit us at http://wallnj.com/211/Clerks-Office
John Paff left an annotation ()
I had heard that James Cadigan may have been in some sort of trouble so I submitted this OPRA on November 22, 2022 to see if I could find evidence, via Cadigan's payroll record, that he was under a period of unpaid suspension. After Wall Township provided me with records that were not properly responsive to my request (i.e. they didn't disclose whether or not Cadigan was under suspension), I filed an Denial of Access complaint with the Government Records Council (GRC). Attorney Walter Luers represented me in that action.
During the pendency of the GRC action, the newspapers reported that Cadigan had been charged on December 16, 2022 with theft of $75,000 from a police union. Had Cadigan not been arrested, the responsive records would have been much more valuable because I could have called public attention to his suspension. Now that the public knows of the charges, I am closing the file because the responsive records showing him to have been suspended prior to his arrest are of minimal value.