Town Lays Off 20% of Police, Firemen
This city in northern New Jersey on Friday laid off more than 20% of its police officers and firefighters despite a protest by about 250 chanting city employees.
Under the layoffs, ordered by Mayor Thomas Dunn, 228 employees lost their jobs. The orders affected 70 of 302 police officers and 53 of the 245 firefighters in the city of 106,000 people.
Dunn blames state Assembly Speaker Chuck Hardwick for the city’s budget deficit because he has refused to allow a vote on providing money for distressed cities. Hardwick called Friday’s layoffs “a shameful political stunt that unnecessarily jeopardizes public safety.”
About 250 city employees protested the layoffs, gathering on the steps of City Hall to chant: “Dunn must go.” Speakers at the protest said that they would demand a recall election against Dunn.
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