City court director's $85G job may be at risk over complaints

Thursday, August 09, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City officials refused to confirm or deny yesterday that Rebecca Mason will be fired as the city's municipal court director as complaints about the administrative functions of the court mounted.

"There's nothing to say right now," said Jennifer Morrill, spokeswoman for Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy. "He's heard complaints and they are being looked into. But he's not going to talk about changes."

Hired two years ago, Mason, 56, said,"the rumors were out there from the day I got here." Mason earns $85,000 a year in her current position and is a former deputy director of the Newark Municipal Court.

At Monday's council caucus meeting, Ward B Councilwoman Mary Spinello, grumbled that the Jersey City Incinerator Authority, where she's deputy executive director of administration, receives subpoenas to appear in court after the court appearance dates.

In those cases, the summonses were dismissed since the agency did not appear, Spinello said. Spinello also said she's heard of arrest warrants being issued by the court to persons who weren't notified that they had to show up.

Ward C Councilman Steve Lipski said his constituents have complained of not being able to contact the court by phone, and being given misinformation when they do get through.

Mason and Judge Wanda Molina said during Mason's tenure the percent of callers getting through to a court employee has risen from 35 percent to 85 percent.

They said JCIA inspectors pick the court date simultaneous with issuing the summons, so it didn't make sense they wouldn't know the court date.

But Spinello said her agency depends on court-issued subpoenas to know which hearing they have to attend, since there's no other way to know if the violator has paid the ticket.