Although Vande Vaarst received a salary that was $14,111 more than her predecessor in the deputy clerk's position, Brown filed a lawsuit in state Superior Court against the Passaic County Freeholders and other officials in February 2005. In it, she claimed Currie had instructed freeholders and county department heads not to cooperate with Brown in retaliation for Vande Vaarst getting the deputy clerk's job.
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Passaic County Deputy Clerk Ends Tenure Amid Salary Flap
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Passaic County Deputy Clerk Lauren Vande Vaarst has resigned, ending a brief stay in a post that was the subject of conflict in the county Democratic Party.
"I'm going back to the private sector," Vande Vaarst said when she was reached at her home.
Vande Vaarst notified County Administrator Anthony DeNova in an e-mail on Sept. 15 that she was leaving as deputy clerk that day.
DeNova, who was on vacation this week, was not available for comment on the Vande Vaarst resignation.
Vande Vaarst would not disclose a reason why she resigned. But she claimed to be the lowest paid deputy county clerk in New Jersey. Her annual salary was $50,513.
Salary issues fueled the controversy during Vande Vaarst's time as deputy clerk, after Passaic County Clerk Karen Brown appointed her in November 2004.
By tapping Vande Vaarst for the post, Brown defied Passaic County Democratic Party Chairman John Currie, who had preferred Keith Kazmark of West Paterson.
Kazmark was appointed to Vande Vaarst's old position of county community organization specialist in January 2005 at an annual salary of $60,337, which was $13,431 more than Vande Vaarst had been earning in that post. County officials justified Kazmark's higher pay by giving him extra duties and changing his job title to communications director.
While Kazmark, who also is a West Paterson Democratic councilman, still holds the communications director title, he also is listed on the county personnel roster as a "confidential aide" being paid $61,846.
Although Vande Vaarst received a salary that was $14,111 more than her predecessor in the deputy clerk's position, Brown filed a lawsuit in state Superior Court against the Passaic County Freeholders and other officials in February 2005. In it, she claimed Currie had instructed freeholders and county department heads not to cooperate with Brown in retaliation for Vande Vaarst getting the deputy clerk's job.
The lawsuit was dismissed in May.
Vande Vaarst was originally a co-plaintiff along with Brown in the lawsuit. But in August 2005, she withdrew from the litigation for reasons she has never publicly disclosed.
E-mail: brubaker@northjersey.com
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