Sexual Harrassment Allegations, Claims of Officials' Retaliation Highlight Tilton Lawsuit

Councilman Dennis Kleiner and former Township Manager Steve Bonanni are major targets of a filed Friday by former township clerk Lisa Tilton.

Tilton claims that a vendetta the “political allies and personal friends” had against her ultimately led to her dismissal from a township that had employed her for 10 years.

Tilton is seeking a rescindment of the Settlement Agreement and Release agreed to on and, she claims, later violated by the township, and a reinstatement to the township with back pay, benefits and all other emoluments of her employment, as well as compensatory damages, counsel fees, costs and interest, and any other future relief deemed “just and proper” by the judge.

Mayor Don Purdy had no comment. Deputy Mayor Tony Coppola had no comment. Tilton's attorney, Steven Srenaski, had no comment.

Bonanni could not be reached for comment. Kleiner, Township Solicitor Michael Blee and Township Manager Arch Liston didn’t return messages seeking comment.

In the lawsuit, Tilton touts her “exemplary employment” as a member of the township prior to the appointment of Bonanni as Township Manager in January, 2011.

As of Nov. 25, 2011, Tilton would’ve been up for reappointment and thus been eligible for tenure.

She alleges Kleiner had threatened this reappointment because, as a member of the Planning Board, she didn’t vote in favor of his preferred choice of engineering firm.

She claims that, following a meeting with Bonanni and Solicitor Michael Blee, an investigation was conducted into the matter. She claims that although her allegations were substantiated, no action was taken against Kleiner.

She also claims Bonanni subjected her to numerous and substantial sexually explicit comments, including comments about her body, her clothes and requests to engage in an extramarital affair.

She claims that Bonanni asked her to withdraw an OPRA request she filed against the He then told her she was not allowed to have contact with any members of council, she said, calling the command unconstitutionally overbroad on its face and as applied.

She says he asked council members to sign an acknowledgement of this policy, and although many members of council declined to sign, none attempted to prevent Bonanni from disciplining her.

She alleges Bonanni subjected to her to three disciplinary actions between May 24 and June 10 for “pre-textual reasons,” including:

• a reprimand for filing OPRA requests and attempting to contact township officials, a reprimand Tilton calls “unlawful;”
• a five-day suspension and removal from the Planning Board for having contact with a council member, a suspension Tilton calls “unlawful;” and
• a suspension without pay, pending her removal for posting an unofficial redistricting map in Galloway for the June 7, 2011, elections.

She claims she was told if she didn’t resign from Planning Board, her five-day suspension would become a termination of her employment. She then resigned.

She also claims that between the second and third incidents, Bonanni asked her to tailor an advertisement for the Chief Finanical Officer’s position to meet Marilyn Dolcy’s requirements, which she said was improper and not in his power to do, as the appointment is reserved for township council.

She was issued a reprimand on June 13 for contacting Blee and former Mayor Keith Hartman, requesting a Rice notice for the upcoming township council meeting. The following day, Bonanni was asked by council to remain as manager through Dec. 31, 2012.

Bonanni’s approval of for Hodsdon, Chief Financial Officer Marilyn Dolcy and Deputy Clerk Carol Hackney are referenced in the suit, as well as allegations his appointment of Karen Bacon as acting clerk was illegal, his use of township-funded cell phone for personal calls, his time spent teaching at Rutgers University while being paid to be in Galloway and improperly signing off on his own vacation buyback.

The lawsuit also states Bonanni resigned effective March 31, but the township forced him to move his retirement up two months to .

She also states the July 18 special hearing was a “sham proceeding” designed to remove her from her position and publicly embarrass herself and Hartman. Her request to have Kleiner recuse himself was not granted, despite an independent investigation into her claims he was attempting to prevent her from achieving her re-appointment as Township Clerk.

She claims she went to Don Purdy, who was then Deputy Mayor, to conduct an investigation concerning these claims. She said he promised an investigation would be conducted, but one was never done by the township. Instead, Purdy informed Bonanni of the complaint in violation of NJLAD.

She asked Purdy also be recused, as there were enough council members present to make a decision, but neither was recused.

It was then revealed that Purdy and Kleiner had text messages they said would reveal an alleged extramarital affair between Tilton and Hartman. Tilton and Hartman have both denied an affair ever took place.

Tilton said she realized the process was biased against her, and was forced to reach an agreement with the township in which she would resign.

She claims the township later violated that agreement by releasing her personal information to the media and the public, resulting in the filing of her initial , last September.

She says Bonanni met with her following this notice, with no attorneys present, attempting to get more information, and when she refused to answer, filed another disciplinary action against her. This one came two days after her resignation from the township became official.

She has since filed two more with the township, and one against Atlantic County and the Board of Elections. Between the four notices, she is claiming $9 million, although she isn't seeking any money in the lawsuit filed Friday.

She references Kleiner’s accusations during a council meeting that she was having an alleged affair with Hartman. The comments came after Hartman withdrew a request to have a on his status as mayor after he missed four consecutive meetings and was in jeopardy of being removed from council.

After Tilton confronted him at the Dubliner following the meeting, he filed a complaint against her. The complaint was later dismissed.

She claims Kleiner continued to harass her by following her and taking pictures of her.

The full list of defendants named in the suit is as follows: the Township of Galloway; former Township Manager Steve Bonanni, in his individual and official capacity; Mayor Don Purdy, in his individual and official capacity; Deputy Mayor Tony Coppola, in his individual and official capacity; current council members Tom Bassford, Jim Gorman, Dennis Kleiner; Brian Tyrrell and Whitney Ullman, each in their individual and official capacities; Township Solicitor Michael Blee in both his capacity with the township and the Law Office of Michael Blee; Township Clerk Thalia Kay, in her official capacity; Registrar of Vital Statistics Carol Hackney, in her official capacity; and former Acting Township Clerk Karen Bacon, in her official capacity.