The mystery remains as to who hired former state official Al Alvarez for his six-figure position as the chief of staff at the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.

Alvarez testified before a state Committee formed to look into the Murphy administration’s hiring practices that he did not know who authorized his employment.

“No one ever said to me, ‘You’re hired,’” Alvarez testified.

No one is really sure how Alvarez obtained this position. So News 12 New Jersey’s Brian Donohue started to think – what other positions can one appoint themselves to?

His first stop was at the State House in Trenton where he dubbed himself state poet laureate. There he read some poetry to several people at the State House, as well as some Trenton residents passing by.

Then he appointed himself lighthouse keeper at one of New Jersey’s various lighthouses. The only problem is that he didn’t have the keys to the lighthouse or any real knowledge about how to operate one.

Alvarez resigned from his position with the Schools Development Authority in October after a newspaper story came out with allegations by Katie Brennan that he sexually assaulted her. Brennan alleges that Alvarez raped her in 2017 while they were both working on Gov. Phil Murphy’s gubernatorial campaign. Brennan was a volunteer at the time.

Alvarez has denied the claims. Two county prosecutor’s offices investigated and both declined to file charges.

Donohue says that he doesn’t wish to make light of the situation surrounding Alvarez. But he says that the situation with the hiring of Alvarez is just one of the many absurdities that are New Jersey politics.