From The Trentonian: Mercerville, N.J., fire commissioners voted 3-2 to reaffirm an earlier decision to banish Fire Chief Jon Holcombe to 10 months in exile effective mid-September — a move described by one official as a “sweetheart deal” that will pay the chief between $80,000 and $100,000 just to sit at home on the taxpayers’ dime.



Commissioner William Sabo Jr. described the terms of the motion as a “sweetheart deal” and said, “It simply does not make fiscal sense to provide the chief with an early ‘buyout’ and potentially pay someone else to perform his duties.”



The money Holcombe will collect reflects the sick, vacation and comp time that he’s accumulated over 25 years.
Once the chief’s 10 months of exile concludes, he’ll be retired with his firefighter-employment files purged, according to the original motion that the board upheld Monday night.