2 town officials to retire after 30 years

The governmental positions in the consolidated Princeton have not yet been determined, though there is speculation that the administrator will be current Princeton Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi, which would leave Pascale without a job.

Buchanan said that the consolidation process did not play a role in his decision to retire. Though he said he did not want to compete with the Borough chief of police for the position in the consolidated municipality, his overall decision was a personal one based on his feelings about his career.

“I was going to retire a couple years ago,” Buchanan said. But when he was promoted to chief of police, he decided to “give it another year or so,” he said. Now, however, after 33 years of working in the Princeton Township Police Department, he said he felt it was time to begin to simply fly his helicopter, play golf and enjoy life.

Buchanan said he and Pascale have been friends for many years now but that the identical date for their respective announcements was “purely a coincidence.” Buchanan joked that perhaps Pascale was inspired by his decision.

Pascale could not be reached for comment.

Consolidation was not totally divorced from their decisions to retire, though. Bruschi said that the consolidation process has brought “an incredible amount of stress from a work standpoint and from an emotional standpoint.” He thinks that Pascale was likely “feeling a lot of that stress,” which may have motivated his decision to retire.

Pascale’s and Buchanan’s last days of work may be today, but they will receive their 2012 salaries along with all the benefits their positions offered until the end of the year. Township Mayor Chad Goerner signed the retirement agreement with Buchanan on March 16 and the one with Pascale on March 18.

On Monday, Republican Assemblywoman Donna Simon — who represents the counties of Hunterdon, Somerset, Mercer and Middlesex — publicly voiced her objections to these agreements.

“Keeping top-tier administrators on the payroll for nine months after their unofficial retirement is no better for taxpayers than giving them a large check,” Simon told Planet Princeton. “In either scenario, public employees are paid for not working, and that doesn’t work for taxpayers.”

Simon is one of 18 Republicans in the Assembly who is sponsoring A-2495, a bill that would prevent cash payouts to new public employees and require a doctor’s note if an employee takes a sick leave of over six consecutive days.

Though Simon said she understands that Buchanan and Pascale will not be receiving sick leave, she said she objects to the fact that they will be paid until the end of the year even though they will not be working.

Buchanan said he was “very offended” by Simon’s comments.

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“I’m not getting a single sick day,” Buchanan said. He said that when Hurricane Irene struck, he did not sleep for three days, spending that time at the police station. And perhaps, he added, the mayor and county thought he deserved the pay.

“I think she spoke before she knew the facts,” Buchanan said.