Monmouth County government officials have decided to oust the head of the Shade Tree Department from the $78,000-per-year job when the position comes up for reappointment in two weeks — though Middletown resident Gary Lovallo said the department “made significant strides” in the two years he was superintendent.
(Now we’ll see who gets the job, and for how much… Thomas Aumack is “the acting” super. Now lets see if he gets the permanent spot, and if there’s any “family” involved…)
“When they brought me in, they said they wanted to get rid of the country club attitude and make the department more businesslike,” Lovallo said. “I guess that rubbed people the wrong way.”
Lovallo would not elaborate except to say the changes he implemented, which he said included a new computer inventory of trees on county properties, were designed to lead to “a more efficient operation.”
Neither county Public Works Director John W. Tobia, who oversees the Shade Tree Department, nor county spokesman William K. Heine would comment on why Lovallo is being dismissed.
“Gary Lovallo is not being reappointed. That’s all I can say about that,” said Heine, noting the subject was “a personnel matter.”
Lovallo said, “I’m not really contesting anything. I want to move on, though I believe I wasn’t given a fair shake on a lot of things.”
Lovallo also has a business, Consulting Municipal Foresters Inc., based in Old Bridge.
Thomas Aumack has been named acting superintendent of the Shade Tree Department, which maintains the trees along 400 miles of county roadways and at Brookdale Community College and throughout the Monmouth County Park System when requested.
Lovallo said he supervised 33 people in carrying out routine trimming, hazardous tree removals, insect and disease control, tree replacement and capital planting projects.
In April 2007, Monmouth County became the 17th county in the nation to be given a “Tree City USA” designation by the National Arbor Day Foundation.
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