Union City has hired a career federal prosecutor to serve as its inspector general, a new post created to provide oversight of public contracts and government budgets to the city government and the Board of Education.
David Malagold joined the Justice Department as a trial attorney in 2002 and has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney in New Jersey since 2006. He spent six years as chief of the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit, and seven years in the Cybercrime Unit.
“As we value ethical standards and government efficiency, we are excited to welcome Mr. Malagold to Union City. We look forward to his vast law enforcement expertise and impeccable career experience further assisting us in maintaining our high standards of government integrity and efficiency for residents,” said Mayor Brian Stack. “We are confident that his presence will provide even greater productivity for both residents and students.”
Malagold’s presence provides an unheralded level of oversight that public officials rarely do voluntarily. Stack has run a city devoid of scandal since he took office in 2000.
Still, the presence of a former federal prosecutor could have a chilling effect on Leonard Filipowski, aka LeRoy Truth, a paid agitator with ties to North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco. Filipowski has been harassing Stack and his allies for more than a year.
“I have spent the last 23 years serving the public, and I look forward to continuing the mission here in Union City,” said Malagold. “Government works best for the people when it is guided by ethics, integrity, and efficiency, and I will work tirelessly on behalf of the City, the Board, and all the residents, parents, students, taxpayers, and employees to ensure that is how it works in this City.”
