Neptune police committee loses member, gains mayor

NEPTUNE - The fledgling police oversight committee established by the township committee has made another change. Committeeman Kevin McMillan, who serves as the township's police liaison, left the committee after saying planned meetings with the chief of police conflicted with his work schedule. Mayor Michael Brantley is taking his place.

McMillan, a Democrat, was the only member of the township committee to vote against the police committee ordinance voicing concerns that its role was unclearly defined.

But he still accepted appointment to the police committee when the first two members of the three person panel were named in August. He is also the only township committee member up for re-election this fall.

McMillan is being opposed by Republican John O. Snowden III in the November election. The Neptune Township Republican Organization slammed the decision by McMillan to leave the committee, saying he "flip-flopped again."

"Our residents' heads must be spinning trying to figure out who’s on first," the organization said in a press release.

McMillan said Monday evening that he thought the committee should have been formed during December when committee appointments are typically done.

"I did vote against the ordinance because of the way it was done. It could have gone through the normal process of our appointments," McMillan said. He said he accepted the appointment at the request of the Brantley, but determined the daytime meetings with the police chief would not work with his schedule as a pharmaceutical sales representative.

"I serve at the pleasure of the mayor," McMillan said. "We had some preliminary meetings where we discussed the committee and many of those discussions will take place during my working hours," he said.

THE BACKGROUND: Neptune tries to form police committee after chief drops lawsuit threat

The township committee is yet to appoint the third member of the committee, who Brantley has said he hopes will be a retired law enforcement officer.

In July, the township said it wanted more oversight of the police department after the force found itself embroiled in controversy with several costly lawsuit payouts, allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a domestic violence killing at the hands of an off-duty Neptune officer.

Recent issues involving the Neptune Police Department are explained in the video above.

The police department was previously overseen by Neptune Chief Financial Officer Michael J. Bascom, who also served as police director.

Now, Police Chief James Hunt will report directly to the committee. Hunt initially bristled at the new police committee and threatened to sue the township over the ordinance creating it, saying it encroached on his statutory rights as chief.

READ MORE: Neptune police chief plans to sue town over new bosses

Vito A. Gagliardi Jr., general counsel for the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, who represents Hunt, said the chief decided not to sue after the township committee adjusted the ordinance to preclude a current subordinate officer on the force from serving as the third member of the committee.

McMillan said the township committee was in the process of "gathering candidates" for the third position. At the meeting Monday, Dorothy Argyros, a frequent speaker at township committee meetings, said she hoped the committee would appoint a "truly independent" person as the third member, as you can see in the video above.

The township committee has not outlined a timeframe for appointing the third member of the police oversight committee.

"We’d like to have the third police committee member in place as soon as possible," Deputy Mayor Nicholas Williams, who also sits on the police committee said.

Austin Bogues 732-643-4009; abogues@gannettnj.com

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