10 out of 10! CLIFTON CITY MANAGER SUES COUNCIL OVER FIRING IN TEXTBOOK MUNICIPAL MELTDOWN
Former Clifton, New Jersey City Manager Nick Villano is suing the city council that fired him, claiming the termination violated his employment contract and due process rights.
The lawsuit alleges council members conducted secret meetings and failed to follow proper procedures before giving him the boot.
This represents everything wrong with municipal governance: hiring managers without clear performance metrics, firing them without documented cause, and then spending taxpayer money on legal fees that could have been avoided with basic management competence.
The real lesson for other cities is in the prevention. Every city manager contract should include specific performance indicators tied to measurable and attainable outcomes, not vague political satisfaction standards. Council members who can’t articulate why they’re firing their top administrator probably shouldn’t be making that decision in the first place.
This registers a 10 on the Drama Meter.
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