Tom McKay blames opposition on council for the township's political stalemate.
Lopatcong Township's mayor says out-of-context statements and a coordinated obstruction effort are behind an investigation into harassment complaints against him, calling it "a political hatchet job."
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Lopatcong Township Mayor Tom McKay says an investigation into a harassment complaint against him is "a political hatchet job." (lehighvalleylive.com file photo) The findings of the probe include recommended disciplinary action against Mayor Tom McKay after determining through interviews that he made statements about the sexuality of the township clerk and another volunteer.
The investigation also says McKay, Clerk/Administrator Beth Dilts and entrenched political factions on council and in the township at large are all responsible for a poisonous political atmosphere preventing business from getting done.
"I don't cause the township any trouble. ... All these problems were here," the mayor said Thursday.
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Response to the findings
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Township Clerk Beth DiltsAfter Dilts filed a complaint in May, attorney Lee Vartan, a partner in the New York City-based law firm Holland & Knight, was hired in June to investigate. The findings report was obtained this week by lehighvalleylive.com.
The report says there was not enough evidence from several interviews to confirm Dilts' initial complaint that the mayor or others had referred to her and another woman as lesbians.
According to the report:
"When asked if he had called either woman a lesbian, the Mayor several times said he 'could not recall' before finally declaring that he had not. He did, however, admit -- unprompted -- to calling both Ms. Dilts and (the other woman) 'man-haters.' When asked how he defined 'man-hater,' the Mayor said, in sum and substance, that a man-hater is a divorced woman who feels aggrieved by men generally."
It also found in a separate interview that McKay told a township employee "Dilts likes women."
The report recommended the mayor face discipline such as a reprimand or censure from council and that all employees undergo training on harassment and discrimination laws.
McKay told lehighvalleylive.com that the "man-hater" comment was an answer to the investigator's question about how other people perceive Dilts. And anything else, he said, must have been part of a broader conversation taken out of context.
When asked if he ever tried to stop such talk in the workplace, the mayor said "every time I try to do something, I get sued."
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Blaming 'the old guard'
McKay said the investigation is part of a continuing effort by the council majority to intimidate and obstruct him in his first term, which began in January.
"They are trying to push me out," he said. "I've done nothing to these people. Any time I try to do something, they oppose me. ... I'm still hanging in there and I'm trying to do the right thing for the people of Lopatcong."
The majority he referred to is Council President Lori Ciesla, Counciman Lou Belcaro and Councilwoman Maureen McCabe Belcaro and McCabe did not immediately return calls for comment Thursday.
"He can try to blame whomever he wants for the current situation at town hall, but there is no workplace in the world where his comments are acceptable," Ciesla said in an email. "There is no excuse for any employer to engage in discrimination, retaliation or harassment. To argue otherwise is a slap in the face to every such victim in this country. It's equivalent to blaming victims for the crime and that is deplorable. The only statement this man should be issuing is an apology."
Since his election, there have been public squabbles over McKay's presence as mayor-elect at a closed-session meeting, legal questions over planning board appointments and criticism over his access to security camera footage.
Meetings, which often last several hours, have been punctuated with testy back-and-forth exchanges not only among council members, but between elected officials and residents. Long arguments erupt on even routine items.
McKay placed the blame on his opposition.
"I think the way to change it is to let people who are not in the old guard into the government," he said.
Dilts, through her attorney Jeff Russo, has filed notice that she plans to sue the township, McKay and Councilwoman Donna Schneider for creating a hostile work environment. Schneider was not named in the special investigation.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
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