VENTNOR – With seven months left on his four-year term, Ventnor City Commissioner Stephen Weintrob called it quits Tuesday afternoon and resigned, effective 4 p.m. Aug. 23.

Calling it a long and complicated story that led him to make the decision, Weintrob said that after discussions with family, friends, and his attorney he felt it was for the best.

“I have given much consideration to those who honored me by voting and putting their trust in me,” he said in a prepared statement. “It is because of my commitment to them that I have chosen this path. I have attempted many times over the last three years to honor the voters’ trust and commitment in making Ventnor City a better place to live.

“Given my fellow commissioners’ dissent with my efforts, I can no longer tolerate being an ineffective voice in that regard,” he continued. “I have loved being a Ventnor resident for over 46 years. I still remain committed to making Ventnor an even better place in which to live and raise a family; but no longer as a city commissioner.”

Weintrob said his attorney did some research and found that if he vacated his office prior to Sept. 1, the City Commission – Ventnor’s governing body – would be forced to elect a replacement for that vacated seat in the upcoming general election.

“They will be able to appoint someone to fill my seat only through November and then someone will have to run to complete the term that expires in May,” said Weintrob Tuesday. “They can appoint someone who just wants to work a few months or they can appoint someone they want to have run for the seat in November and again in May. It’s up to them now.”

If Weintrob had waited to step down until after Sept. 1, it would have been too late to get a name on the ballot for November and the person appointed to take Weintrob’s place would have held that seat until the May non-partisan election.

Weintrob, who was most recently serving as the commissioner of finance, served as the commissioner of public works after he was elected in 2008.

He cites several reasons that led to his decision to resign. The first one he mentioned was the recent e-coli scare, testing, and notification to the public.

“They made a bad decision on when to notify people on the water issue. They can not deny they knew (there was a problem) on Wednesday,” said Weintrob.

He argued that samples should have been sent out to a private lab rather than waiting for the state, and that when the report came back negative for e-coli, Weintrob said the mayor should have informed people immediately.

“Nothing short of death would have kept me from letting people know, but I was told that it was not my call,” Weintrob continued.

Another reason was that his fellow Commissioner John Piatt was going to have him arrested over plans for the city.

“Piatt was using police powers. No one can override the chief of police and the chief of the fire department,” said the now former commissioner.

The final issue he mentioned in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon was that, although he was commissioner of finance, control of that department was not in his hands.

Weintrob said he made the decision at the end of last week to resign after a succession of issues left him as one solo vote against his two fellow commissioners, John Piatt and Theresa Kelly.

“Once we made the decision at the end of last week, it was time to do it and get it over with. The taxpayers are paying for me to do a job and I am unable to do that job on the City Commission the way it is,” said Weintrob. “I had more than 1,500 people put their trust in me and vote for me to do a job and I have to honor those people.”

Weintrob said he is not going anywhere. He will be right here in Ventnor asking questions and keeping a vigilant eye on what is going on.

“I am a taxpayer and there is not a question I can not ask and not a form I can not OPRA. I will be keeping vigilant,” Weintrob concluded.

Reached for comment by phone Tuesday, Commissioner John Piatt said, “I wish Commissioner Weintrob well and wish his family well. As a commission we will just be moving on.”

Piatt said he has City Solicitor Tim McGuire looking into the exact procedure for what happens next. He said they just want to make sure they proceed correctly in appointing someone to complete the unexpired term of Weintrob.

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