After 7½ years as Stafford Township’s administrator, Matthew von der Hayden is on his way back to Ocean City.
“Ocean City is a great place, I know the people, and there are great opportunities,” said von der Hayden, whose final day in Stafford is Nov. 20, after he handed in his resignation last week. “Part of why I love doing this job is being able to come up with plans, instituting those plans and seeing those things come to fruition. That’s why I love what I do, and I believe there’s real opportunity there, with the mayor, people and governing body they have, to serve the city and make an impact.”
Ocean City’s council approved the hiring of von der Hayden as its new administrator on Oct. 22 as the successor to George Savastano, who is retiring from the position.
“I’m sad to leave Stafford because there are a lot of great people here,” said von der Hayden, who was Ocean City’s capital planning manager from 2014 to 2017. “But my goal was always, wherever I served, to give it my all and try to make it the best municipality in the state. The opportunity to go to Ocean City and make that kind of impact is exciting. With my abilities, I believe I’ll be able to do a lot of good things there.”
As many may attest, von der Hayden, who has doubled as the water and sewer department’s director, did many good things within Stafford Township. From improving internal energy practices to raking in tens of millions of dollars in grant funding for infrastructure, resiliency and community improvement projects, and much more, he has been considered among the premier administrators in the state.
He was named “Outstanding Manager of the Year” by the New Jersey Municipal Management Association and was given the Career Development Award in 2021. He’s one of only five current municipal managers to hold the International City/County Management Association Credentialed Manager designation.
(Supplied photo)
The 47-year-old from Upper Township was hired by Stafford to be the administrator on March 5, 2019, during then-mayor Greg Myhre’s initial term. Prior to his stay in Stafford, he served as the Egg Harbor Township deputy administrator after leaving Ocean City in 2017.
After completing a Bachelor of Science degree in biological and physical science at Rowan University, he went on to earn two master’s degrees, one in business administration from Rutgers and one in public administration from Villanova. Before his first stint in Ocean City, von der Hayden worked for the Atlantic County Utilities Authority for nearly nine years, first as a lab analyst and then as a project analyst.
“I’ve put in a lot of time to improve things here in Stafford because this is what I love to do,” von der Hayden said. “When Mayor Myhre, now Assemblyman Myhre, gave me the shot to be the administrator here, I told him I’d give it everything I’ve got, and I think I’ve done that. The ability to go and do something exciting for a place like Ocean City is just a good opportunity, and that’s why I’m going.”
The township posted the administrator/water and sewer director job opening earlier this week. Applications will be accepted until Nov. 9. The next township council meeting is scheduled for Nov. 10.
