Village Manager Ken Gabbert Could be Ousted

Ken Gabbert's days in Ridgewood could soon be numbered. The village council has scheduled a special public meeting on Tuesday to begin the process to likely oust the top municipal administrator.

The council is meeting behind closed doors at 6 p.m. and will then open to the public, where "formal action" may be taken.

"We are working towards a smooth transition in the Village Manager's office, one that has the unanimous support of the council and the manager," Mayor Paul Aronsohn said Thursday, calling Tuesday's meeting "a step" in the process. 

Reached by phone on Thursday, Aronsohn said further details would be released at the Aug. 14 meeting. He declined to speak further, citing personnel issues.

Patch broke the news that the mayor made a power play to remove Gabbert back in February. A closed door vote ultimately failed. Following the vote, the council released a vague one-sentence statement saying it would establish an "evaluation process" for Gabbert. It's unclear what sort of criteria the governing body is using to evaluate Gabbert, if any.

Two council members, Tom Riche and Bernadette Walsh, have been staunch supporters of Gabbert and are a good bet to fight for him. They voted to give Gabbert a $12,000 raise in summer of 2011, a vote Aronsohn opposed.

The mayor and Gabbert, not exactly the best of friends, have squared off numerous times since the village manager was appointed to his post in fall of 2009. 

Aronsonhn's 'like-minded' colleagues, Albert Pucciarelli and Gwenn Hauck, were elected to office last year. They'll likely join Aronsohn in deposing Gabbert when a resolution hits the dais.