New prosecutor hired for Millville court

MILLVILLE - The City Commission hired a Salem city law firm to handle municipal prosecutor duties for the remainder of the year.

The hiring of Puma, Telsey & Rhea P.A. took immediate effect. The firm will be paid $450 per court session under a professional services contract that limits total payments to $30,000 for the year.

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Mayor Michael Santiago and City Commissioners Joseph Sooy and Lynne Porreca Compari voted in favor of the contract on Wednesday afternoon. Commissioner David Ennis was absent.

The firm is providing two attorneys for the position: Kristin J. Telsey and Adam I. Telsey. The attorneys, who were at the meeting, are married and residents of Woodstown.

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After the meeting, Santiago swore in the attorneys. The hasty ceremony was necessary because the position has been vacant since May 13 with the resignation of controversial Prosecutor Michael R. Mazzoni.

Mazzoni started with the city in January, but he quickly was criticized for not handling cases quickly or efficiently. The City Commission at one point was poised for a vote on whether to fire him.

Santiago said the search for a replacement prosecutor had turned up four “great candidates.”

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The only other item on the agenda for the special meeting was approval for purchasing up to $40,000 in automobile and truck parts for maintenance use.

Joseph P. Smith; (856) 563-5252; jsmith@gannettnj.com