Jackson Mayor Gets Patronage Promotion

Ocean County Taxpayers Whacked Again

JACKSON – The all-Republican board of Freeholders has named Jackson Republican Mayor Michael Reina as the Ocean County Superintendent of Bridges, despite Reina having no background in engineering. The move has been seen by many as rewarding a political ally with a government job – which is far from unusual in a county where one party controls the entire board of freeholders.

Michael Reina

In his new role, Reina will be responsible for overseeing the safety of all bridges within the county, despite having no experience in the field. In 2014, the Jackson mayor was hired as the assistant superintendent of bridges. This promotion will net him a salary increase of $11,000 per year, with Reina’s new total salary at $120,000 including what he gets as mayor of Jackson.

Before getting his government job in 2014, Mr. Reina worked as a security guard at the Oyster Creek nuclear plant in Lacey Township.