A recent addition to the mayor’s administration is Primivato (“Primo”) Cruz, who was appointed Chief of Staff on January 29, 2024, with an annual salary of $170,000. According to available records, this position was previously held by Gabriela (“Gabby”) Mosquera until she transitioned to the role of Director of the Sewer Utility, where her salary reportedly increased to $120,000. The only prior salary data we have at this time for Gabby comes from 2022, when she earned $64,972 in what was presumably the Chief of Staff role.

What changed?

This shift raises questions about the evolving needs of the mayor’s office and the costs borne by taxpayers. When did it become necessary to appoint a Chief of Staff at a $170,000 salary? Publicly available information doesn’t provide a clear justification for this figure, leaving room for speculation. Was Gabby’s earlier salary of $64,972 unusually low for the responsibilities she held, or does Primo’s compensation suggest a different standard? As a concerned resident without all the information, I lean toward questioning the latter, though this is purely my personal view based on the limited data at hand.

Reports I’ve received—unverified but worth noting—suggest that Gabby continues to work regularly in the mayor’s office despite her new title and is seldom seen at the Sewer Utility facility. Additionally, public records obtained via an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request below show her being copied on emails related to employee hiring, including matters tied to the Veteran’s Affairs office, which seem unrelated to sewer operations. This record obtained fuel further curiosity.

Timing and Responsibilities

Gabby, by her own account, assumed the Sewer Utility Director role on January 1, 2024—just weeks before Primo’s hiring. (See image below) This timeline prompts additional questions: If Gabby is still involved in mayor’s office activities, what unique role does Primo Cruz fill that justifies his position and salary? And why might a Sewer Utility Director be looped into hiring decisions outside her apparent purview? Shouldn’t her focus be on managing and maintaining the sewer system rather than broader administrative tasks?

Work Calendars

To gain insight into their daily responsibilities, we submitted OPRA requests for the work calendars of Gabby Mosquera and Primo Cruz. One might expect that taxpayers have a right to understand what public officials are doing in roles funded by their dollars. However, securing these records was not straightforward. Under OPRA guidelines, responses are due within a specified timeframe, though extensions can be granted with justification. In this instance, delivery of both Gabby’s and Primo’s calendars was delayed. When received, Gabby’s calendar was almost entirely blank, while Primo’s was heavily redacted. I requested a redaction index to clarify what was withheld, but the response provided appears minimal, leaving uncertainty about whether the request was fully met.

Gabby’s calendar can be viewed [BY CLICKING HERE].
Primo’s calendar can be viewed [BY CLICKING HERE].

Who is this guy?

It may be worthy to note that Rep Donald Norcross’s Chief of Staff, as stated on LinkedIn, Mary Cruz is mentioned to be the other half of a “Power Couple”. The article from 2019 by the InsiderNJ states that the Primo Cruz she wed in 2008 was an attorney and worked in Lambertville. From the resume obtained via OPRA requests, the Primo Cruz from Gloucester Township did list working in Lambertville around the time of the 2019 article. It also mention being a “politico extraordinaire”, whatever that means.

A Call for Clarity

These developments—the salary shifts, overlapping roles, and elusive calendar details—leave more questions than answers. I’m not here to accuse but to wonder aloud: What do Primo Cruz and Gabby Mosquera actually do in their current positions, and why is it so hard to get a clear picture? Taxpayers footing the bill for these salaries deserve straightforward explanations about job duties, hiring rationales, and how public resources are being used. The sparse or redacted calendars only deepen the mystery. I invite readers, or even the administration, to share insights or corrections that could illuminate this situation—because right now, the pieces don’t quite add up.