County administrator, attorney to retire

By Nathan Mayberg
NEWTON — Three of Sussex County's top officials have announced their retirements.

County Administrator John Eskilson and County Counsel Dennis McConnell will both retire July 1. County Treasurer Bernard Re also has announced that he will retire this summer.

The retirements of the veteran officials follow controversy over the county's dealings regarding the failed SunLight General Capital project, which left the county on the hook for approximately $27 million in bonds it backed for the construction of solar panels on municipal and school buildings.

County freeholder George Graham had called for McConnell's resignation last month. Freeholder Gail Phoebus also had been increasingly critical of the county officials in recent weeks after information she received regarding attorney invoices related to the solar project were redacted.

Eskilson said this week the invoices were redacted based on advice from county counsel. He said the material may still be unredacted after discussions with freeholders last week.

Pressure also had been building on the two from some town committees and councils in the county unhappy with the fallout from the solar deal.

McConnell has been the county's counsel for more than 25 years.

Eskilson has been the county administrator for 11 years. He was previously deputy county administrator, community development director in Newton, borough administrator of Hopatcong and Hardyston Township Manager.

On McConnell's retirement, Eskilson said the attorney was a "true professional."

Eskilson, 58, said he will take a break from politics after his retirement and will look to enter the nonprofit world working to build sustainable communities and economies.

Eskilson said county government was a "huge challenge" and that the issues involving the solar deals had become "all consuming."

"It does impact our ability to deal with day to day operations," Eskilson said.

Eskilson's three-year term as county administrator would have run out at the end of the year.

"I got a chance to work with a lot of good people," Eskilson said.

"We really run a lot thinner than a lot of other places in this state," Eskilson said about Sussex County's government.

Many of the county's department heads "get a lot done with very little resources," he said.

Re served more than a decade with the county as its treasurer, Eskilson said.

Eskilson called Re "the single best financial officer I've ever worked with in 35 years.

Eskilson said the county's health administrator Herbert Yardley, also announced his retirement effective June 30.

"It's most important that we find a replacement for the administrator ASAP."

Graham said he is hopeful the county will hire new counsel with expertise in the solar energy field.

Graham said he had been having trouble getting information about the ongoing situation involving the solar panel deals.

A settlement the freeholders agreed to in February requires millions of dollars in new bonding to pay money out to Power Partners Mastec, the contractor which sued SunLight General Capital over the construction of the panels.

The county is planning to complete the project and has brought on Vanguard Energy Partners to do so as part of the settlement over litigation involving the three-county solar project which has put three counties in more than $80 million of debt.

The county hopes it can recoup a large part of the money owed on the project by building out the rest of the project and earning income from the sale of electricity and the tax certificates.

The county is supposed to take on $6.5 million in bonding next week, Graham said. He wants the county to hold off on the bonding.

Graham said he doesn't know who is going to be in charge of all the projects for the county.

A message left with Sussex County Board of Freeholders Director Phil Crabb was not returned.

"We're exactly where we were in 2011." Graham said. The Board of Freeholders voted in 2011 to support the solar energy project back then. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing the same way and expecting a different result."