Paterson personnel director resigns
By Paterson Times Staff
Published: August 24, 2021
The city’s personnel director Debra Hannibal has resigned, according to municipal officials.
Hannibal’s last day on the job is Wednesday.
It’s not clear why Hannibal resigned. She did not respond to a message seeking her comments for this story.
A source said Hannibal had been under work pressure from business administrator Kathleen Long and assistant business administrator Jennifer Hirschmanner. Hirschmanner was put in charge of overseeing the Division of Personnel; until recently, Hirschmanner’s office was located at the division.
Long said newly hired assistant personnel director Stephanie Pabon will assume Hannibal’s duties.
The Division of Personnel has been marked by scandals over the past decade. Its former directors Michele Ralph-Rawls and Betty Taylor made headlines.
Mayor Andre Sayegh did little to stabilize the crucial division. He had an opportunity to start addressing problems at the division; however, he picked Ralph-Rawls, who weeks into the job wanted to give herself a pay increase.
Ralph-Rawls resigned last June.
Sayegh hasn’t picked a new director for the Division of Personnel.
“The Mayor and the Administration are still discussing next steps for staffing that department. Any hiring would proceed through the normal publicly advertised process,” said Long.
Councilman Luis Velez worried the departure of Hannibal could turn into another lawsuit against the city.
“This doesn’t smell good,” said Velez. “What I’ve seen in this administration is that not a lot of people are happy.”
Sayegh has a high turnover rate in his administration, mostly at the cabinet level.
Hannibal joined Paterson in 2017, according to payroll records.