Beef with the chief: Gallo turns Salzmann matter over to DA

Salzmann is the second high-ranking city official to retire amid allegations related to work hours in the past year. In January 2011, former Detective Lt. Tim Matthews was placed on leave and later retired after a routine audit of the Kingston City School District by the State Comptroller’s Office revealed that the commander of the KPD’s Detective Division had billed the school district, where he worked as part-time security coordinator, and the police department for overlapping hours. In June, Matthews was hit with a 13-count indictment alleging a long-running pattern of theft of police funds; to date he has not been charged with any crime related to the alleged payroll fraud. Matthews is scheduled to go on trial in March. City officials later revealed that Matthews was allowed to submit his own timesheets, including claims for overtime, with little oversight. The scandal lead to new payroll procedures at the police department and a push by Tuey to institute new controls over cash collected by the city, purchasing and other fiscal matters. Gallo, who worked part time in the Corporation Counsel’s office before he was elected mayor, said he was disturbed by the practices revealed during his recent effort to tighten controls over personnel matters.

“I’m finding a lack of transparency and accountability and a lack of process to provide any kind of checks and balances with these kinds of issues,” said Gallo.

Former mayor James Sottile, who left office last year after a decade as the city’s chief executive, defended his administration’s personnel practices and the wide latitude extended to department heads.

“The fact is you have to trust your department heads,” said Sottile who praised Salzmann as an outstanding chief. “You are not a babysitter, you have to trust them.”

Salzmann, 58, was appointed chief by Gallo’s brother, the late mayor T.R. Gallo, in 1998. He was the city’s longest serving department head. During his tenure he oversaw the consolidation of the city’s Building and Safety Division with the fire department. More recently, he spearheaded the anti-blight “block by block” initiative and the consolidation of city fire dispatch services with County 911. On Tuesday, Gallo announced that Assistant Chief Chris Rea had been appointed to fill Salzmann’s post on a provisional basis pending the outcome of a civil service test.