Council Appoints New Township Manager

by Howard Prosnitz, Staff Writer

Teaneck Suburbanite, April, 22, 2009, p. 2.

William BroughtonWill Broughton, a Teaneck native and former captain on the municipal police, has been named the township's sixth manager*.

Broughton, 47, who will begin his duties on May 13, will also become the first African-American to hold this position.

He will replace Gregory Fehrenbach, who has served as part-time interim manager since February. Fehrenbach was hired after the council removed Helene Fall in January.

At an April 13 council meeting, all six members present voted to appoint Broughton.

Broughton will resign from the Bergen County Sheriff's Department where he has served as chief since 2005.

In an interview with Teaneck Suburbanite, Broughton said he was excited to be returning to Teaneck.

"I look forward leading the wonderful work force that we have there and to making Teaneck a model in efficiency and excellence," he said.

The son of a New York City bus driver and a homemaker, Broughton was born and raised on Hubert Terrace. He attended Bryant and Whittier schools, Benjamin Franklin Middle School and graduated from Teaneck High School in 1980.

Although his ambition was always to become a police officer, Broughton worked for several years after high school at Ken's Auto Repair on State Street and Teaneck Road.

In 1983 he joined the Teaneck Police Department as a patrolman.

He was promoted to sergeant in 1988 and detective lieutenant in charge of the youth bureau in 1991.

He also served as lieutenant incharge of the detective bureau.

In 2002 he was promoted to captain, serving as different times as administrative captain and patrol captain.

"I had a wonderful career in Teaneck," Broughton said, describing his time in the youth bureau, where he worked alongside current Police Chief Robert Wilson, as one of the most enjoyable parts of this career.

In 2005 Sheriff Leo McGuire invited Broughton to come to Hackensack and join the sheriff's department.

When the manager's position became available in Teaneck, Broughton received numerous calls from people urging him to apply.

"I saw a void that I believe that I have the skills and ability to fill and to be instrumental in helping Teaneck grow," said Broughton, who is a certified municipal manager and has also earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from New Jersey City University and a master's degree in administrative sciences from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

One of his first priorities is to put Teaneck in a firm financial position for 2010 and subsequent years.

"These are very challenging times financially. Everyone will have to pull together and make sacrifices. I want to have a good relationship with labor so that we can be more progressive and efficient."

Other concerns including youth issues and the township's aging infrastructure.

Broughton will seek to work with school officials to develop strategies so that Teaneck teenagers are not caught up in the gangs that are proliferating throughout the nation.

Concerning the infrastructure, he notes that many township-owned buildings are in need of repair. Employees in the municipal offices are cramped for space and space problems also exist at the DPW yard.

Broughton declined to comment on the successful lawsuits against the township by former Police Captain Diane Mancini and former Patrolman John Shouldis, both of whom he worked with.

He was also on the force in 1991 when Officer Patrolman Gary Spath shot and killed black teenager Phillip Pannell.

"It was a very troubling time, but Teaneck has come out of it a stronger and more united town," Broughton said.

As chief in the sheriff's department, Broughton's duties have included heading the internal affairs division. He is espacially proud of leading a delegation of sheriffi's and state police officers in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

"We searched many homes and found bodies inside. We handed out food on the street. People did not have shelter. It was a very humbling experience."

A resident today of Jackson, Broughton's wife Sandy is an administrator at Ocean County College.

The couple has four children: Gabrielle, 5, Ariana, 3, Robert, 18 and Stephen, 23.

Mayor Kevie Feit noted that the council had received more than 30 applications for the position, interviewed eight candidates and called three back for a second interview.

"We are very excited about this choice," said Feit. "He has experience managing budgets and experience with the civil service commission.

He is a product of Teaneck and understands the issues affecting us."

In an e-mail, Councilman Elie Y. Katz concurred.

"I am proud to support Broughton. Brougthon has excelled in every position he has been in during his professional career. He will bring a much needed new direction and working environment to our municipal organization."

 

* Should be the seventh manager. -- corrected by Teaneck Public Library.

 

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