TRENTON – The turnover continues for the mayor’s cabinet.
The city is shifting acting business administrator Arch Liston over to economic development to make way for a new business administrator.
Adam Cruz started in that role Monday, becoming the third person to fill that position since Mayor Reed Gusciora was sworn in this year to take over for ex-Mayor Eric Jackson.
Liston was hired in October in that capacity to replace Terry McEwen, a holdover from the last mayoral administration who resigned Nov. 1.
“I’m excited to get Adam started working on behalf of the City of Trenton. His expertise will be put to the test as we face years of budgetary mismanagement head-on,” Gusciora said in a statement announcing the move. “Adam has worked under challenging circumstances in places like Newark and Perth Amboy, so I’m sure he’ll be fine under pressure.”
Liston, who came to Trenton highly recommended by the Department of Community Affairs, is only filling in as economic development director on an interim basis while a search for a permanent replacement continues, a city spokesman said.
He will work to help the city reconcile missing documentation dating back at least two administration related to community block grants. Missing paperwork and budget irregularities led to the mayor calling for a state-commissioned forensic audit in October.
But the mayor was forced to admit, following questions from the legislative body about whether Gusciora’s request was a “political ploy,” that the Department of Community Affairs struck down his request for such an exhaustive examination of the city’s books feeling it wasn’t needed.
DCA is expected to conduct an audit intended to help the city reconcile record-keeping of Community Development Block Grants.
The city has lost out on about $6 million in federal grants becomes of mismanagement over the years.
While Liston is busy working that out, Cruz will take over his responsibilities as business administrator.
Cruz, who is pursuing his master’s degree in public administration at Fairleigh Dickinson University, served previously as Perth Amboy’s business administrator for two years.
His resume shows he left that position, for which he was responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations of all city departments, in June of this year.
Cruz was also assistant business administrator in Newark for almost two years, according to his resume.
He served in various capacities in Newark government and was chief of staff for at-large councilman Carlos Gonzalez from 2006 to 2008.
Cruz has a bachelor’s degree in environmental planning and design from Rutgers University.
He expects to graduate from Fairleigh Dickinson with his master’s next year, according to his resume.
