UPDATE: Sparta police chief retires, resigns post as town manager; appoints new chief

Sparta Police Chief and interim Town Manager Neil Spidaletto said he is leaving both posts at the end of the month.

At the end of the Township Council meeting Dec. 13, he said he is resigning from the township manager position and retiring from the police force.

Spidaletto, 49, has worked for the Sparta Police Department for about 28 years. His father worked there for 16 years.

The timing was “right for me and my family,” he said, adding that he had been thinking about retiring for months.

“It’s been very rewarding. But I think now’s the time to potentially explore something different.”

“Wearing two hats was a bear of a job,” he noted.

When pushed about whether he would be leaving had the Township Council election results been different, he said no. He thinks the council members “want a full-time township manager.”

Before stepping down, Spidaletto’s salary as police chief was $185,000. He was given a $70,000 stipend for his work as interim town manager, a role he took on in April 2021, when the former town manager, Bill Close, stepped down because of health issues. Close’s full-time town manager salary was about $200,000.

As one of his last acts, Spidaletto appointed Lt. Jeffrey McCarrick, just back from the FBI National Academy, as the new police chief.

“As the appointing authority and through civil service rules, I have appointed Lt. Jeffrey McCarrick to be the next chief of police to the Sparta Township Police Department, effective Dec. 30,” he said.

Spidaletto also said he would turn over his duties as township manager to his deputy manager, the township’s chief financial officer, Sam Rome.

In his remarks, he talked about the talented people he has worked with in the township and police department. He thanked Sparta residents, his family, and the mayor and council for “everything we accomplished over the years.”

Reactions

Councilman Chiariello and Neill Clark, who was elected to the council Nov. 8, said they were surprised by Spidaletto’s announcement.

Clark, who officially joins the council in January, also said it’s probably good to have have two different people in the roles of police chief and town manager.

Past and future

Spidaletto’s last day on the police force will be Dec. 30. He joined the department nearly 28 years ago, following in his father’s footsteps.

“It runs in my blood,” he said. “There’s been a Spidaletto on the police force for almost 50 years.”

He said his time as interim town manager was “a learning experience.”

Moving along a solar farm project to “generate real money for the township” and addressing long-standing sewer problems in town with federal funds from the America Rescue Plan Act are among his proudest accomplishments in the role.

Asked what comes next, Spidaletto said his “heart and soul” is with police work. He plans to continue teaching as an adjunct professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

He and his family will remain in Sparta, where he grew up, His daughter attends Pope John.

“It really has been the most rewarding career,” he said. “I thank Sparta residents for giving me the opportunity to serve them.”