Anthony Russomanno and Maria Tomaro, both Democratic activists, got new jobs in Edison.
Anthony Russomanno, a Democratic activist and former mayoral aide, will become the assistant director of Edison'sDPW. EDISON -- Two well known figures in Edison are getting new jobs in the township. They'll help the town enforce new policies and manage the Department of Public Works, officials said.
"I select people who I feel will make a positive contribution to the Edison Team," Mayor Thomas Lankey said in an emailed statement.
Anthony Russomanno is moving down the hallway from his current job in Lankey's office, pending a council vote Wednesday. He'll become the assistant director of the Department of Public Works, at $80,000 annually. That's a $13,000 pay bump over his current position as director of constituent relations. The town won't seek a replacement for that job, which was created in 2014, just before Russomanno got it.
The new job comes a few weeks after Edison hired the man Russomanno will report to. John Haines, the incoming DPW director, previously had the same job in Union Beach. He'll make $120,000 annually, replacing outgoing DPW chief Jeff Roderman, who retired in May. He has no known connection to the Edison political scene.
Russomanno, on the other hand, will get a new job as a top DPW official after he ran Lankey's successful mayoral campaign in 2013. He also was the chairman of the Democrats' council campaign in 2015, helping usher four Democratic members onto the seven-member council that will vote on his appointment Wednesday night. His wife, Cheryl, is the town clerk.
"I'm looking forward to helping reorganize the (DPW) with the new director," Russomanno said. "Our goal will be to streamline and provide efficient services."
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Russomanno's history in Edison Town Hall is long and eventful. He previously was an aide to former mayor Antonia Ricigliano after he ran her mayoral campaign, but was transferred to another department and then fired amid acrimony that lingers to this day. He filed suit, and when Lankey took over as mayor the town settled with him for $120,000.
In an email, the township noted that Russomanno has 35 years of experience in the private industry, dealing primarily with landscaping and construction.
Many Edison constituents' questions are related to DPW, the town said.
"Anthony's knowledge of Edison and his understanding of local government will make him an invaluable resource to support the new Director of Public Works," the town said in a news release. The town did not advertise for the position.
The town has paid $2,197 toward Russomanno's certificate as a DPW manager. He has taken three classes so far and has six more to go.
Russomanno and Haines will start work Thursday.
In an unrelated move, the town hired Maria Tomaro as an environmental health specialist for $53,000 earlier this month.
Tomaro is the treasurer for the town Democratic organization; she's also the wife of county Freeholder Charles Tomaro and the daughter of former Edison Democratic chair Thomas Paterniti (she began on Feb. 1, months after Paterniti retired as chairman). The Tomaros' son Justin has worked in the DPW since 2014, state records show.
Maria Tomaro's new position, the township said, is a new one, which will help carry out a new quality of life law that the town is considering. Such laws can include more restrictions on living spaces. The town picked Tomaro after advertising the job and interviewing other candidates.
Paterniti, 87, said he was not involved in the decision to hire his daughter. She previously worked at a dental hygienist in his office, until he retired at the beginning of this year.
"She's well qualified," Paterniti said. "She's a licensed health inspector."
Paterniti said he didn't pull any strings.
"I don't pull nothing no more," Paterniti said. "Just a good registered Democrat."
Brian Amaral may be reached at bamaral@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bamaral44. Find NJ.com on Facebook.