By KIM MAIALETTI
Courier-Post Staff
CAMDEN

The embattled executive director of the city Parking Authority, Anthony Scarduzio, plans to step down May 31 under a buyout proposal approved Tuesday.

After an hourlong closed meeting, the Board of Commissioners for the authority voted 4-1 in favor of buying out the remaining 18 months of Scarduzio's five-year contract.

Scarduzio will receive $129,255 in two equal installments to be paid June 1 and Jan. 1, according to the resolution.

The actual agreement has not been made public because it has not been signed yet, said authority lawyer Carlos Morcate.

Scarduzio, who requested the board consider a buyout, still has the option of rejecting the agreement.

"It's hard to say no to the economic benefits of it," said Scarduzio, who earlier this month denied having any knowledge of the proposal.

Scarduzio has been under scrutiny for his relationships with vendors that conduct business with the authority. He has acknowledged he received gifts from vendors, including two trips, and that he earned a commission from a long- distance company that provides phone service to the authority.

The agency is also under investigation by the state Division of Criminal Affairs and is battling a whistle- blower lawsuit filed by two employees - one who has been fired, and one who remains suspended without pay.

Scarduzio said Tuesday he has done nothing wrong.

"I just feel my efforts to concentrate on the lawsuit have detracted from my ability to concentrate on the job," he said. "The day-to-day operation of the authority is running fine. The outside forces are causing the problems."

The authority is an independent agency that oversees 800 meters and about 5,000 parking spaces in 10 lots throughout the city. Most of its $3.1 million budget comes from parking fees.

Scarduzio has worked for the authority since 1979. The commissioners appointed him executive director in 1998, replacing Theodore Hinson who was ousted by the state Local Finance Board after running up a budget deficit of nearly $ 1 million.

Scarduzio's labor agreement mandates that, under a buyout, he be paid 90 percent of the contract's current value for the fourth year and 80 percent of the contract's current value for the fifth year.

Commissioner William Jenkins voted against the proposal, saying Scarduzio did not fulfill his duties and noting that Hinson did not receive a buyout.

"Ted Hinson left out of here and didn't get a dime," Jenkins said. "Why should he?"

Commission Chairman Ismael Hilerio and commissioners Carmen Otero, Linda Jones and Thomas Buckingham voted for the buyout. Otero said Scarduzio "has done very good in the Parking Authority" and characterized the agreement as "the best thing that could happen right now."

Former commission chairman Peter McHugh, however, feels differently.

"It's an absolute disgrace," said McHugh, who was on the board that appointed Scarduzio. "It's rewarding the man for bad behavior."

The commissioners also voted 3-1 Tuesday to fire the agency's financial consultant, Elvis Gooden, who earns $2, 000 a month in retainer fees. Jenkins voted against the resolution. Jones left the meeting before the vote.

Gooden has spoken out about impropriety within the authority and contradicted Scarduzio on at least one occasion. Gooden referred questions Tuesday to his attorney, Michael W. Hoffman.

"Elvis will pursue all his legal rights and act accordingly," said Hoffman of Stein, Supsie & Hoffman in Forked River, Ocean County, adding that the move seemed retaliatory.

Scarduzio, however, said the firing was not retaliation. He said Gooden was slow to respond to requests from the agency and that the authority's chief financial officer " expressed dissatisfaction" with his services.