Mahwah Recall Petitioners Have Gotten 'Hundreds' Of Signatures So Far

A grassroots effort to get Mayor William Laforet out of office has gone well organizers said roughly 10 days into their campaign.

Annettee Freund, a sponsor of a petition to recall Laforet, said that the four-member committee has collected “hundreds” of signatures. The group has been going door to door since the campaign began late last month. The group also collects signatures in front of the Mahwah Post Office Saturday mornings.

“People have come up to us and asked ‘Where do I sign and how do I chance the current political climate?’” Freund said. “It’s galvanized the community on a grassroots level.”

The 16-member committee has about 150 days to collect nearly 4,200 signatures, 25 percent of registered Mahwah voters, to get the question of should Laforet stay in office on the Nov. 3 ballot. Thirty circulators have been going door to door gathering signatures. The committee has a website and Facebook community group.

“It’s an enormous number and we know that,” Freund said. “Our success will depend on our level of commitment and word of mouth.”

Laforet was election to an unexpired term in 2011 and re-elected to a four-year term in 2012. His current term expires in 2016.

The recall campaigners have citied five reasons for the recall, including not abiding by municipal statutes regarding the opening of an ice rink on town property and circumventing the town council, approving $500,000 in overtime expenses for the police department’s budget without notifying the council, and the move to terminate Department of Public Works Director Ed Sinclair, and using the police department’s Nixle account for political self-promotion.

Pornography was allegedly discovered on a departmental computer and Sinclair’s supporters said the move was politically motivated. The council voted to overturn Laforet at a standing-room only public meeting.

The council declared “no confidence” in Laforet’s leadership with a 4-2. Councilwoman Lisa GiGiulio led attendees in a chant of “recall” after a profane tirade where she came down off the dias and shouted at Laforet.

“That was the last straw. The frustration was building up to that point and that was the last straw,” Freund said. “He took away a man’s livelihood without evidence or due process and people said if they could do it to him, he could do it to us.”

Recall petitioners have accused Laforet of fear mongering. He has attached a statement to every petition:

“Do Not Sign This Petition - Be Advised That You Are Not Legally Obligated To Sign This Document. By signing this petition, your name/address/voter information may be used for political activities you may not be aware of.”

“He didn’t deny the reasons he’s just trying to intimidate the residents into not signing it,” Freund said. “We will take no more bullying, no more threaets, and no more Laforet.”

Organizers have until Oct. 5 to submit the required number of signatures, but signatures on a recall petition must be approved at least 60 days prior to the general election for a recall question to appear on the ballot, making the actual deadline Sept. 5.

Before that day, a recall official 10 business days to approve the signatures. Laforet may contest the official’s decision in Superior Court within another 10 business days, NorthJersey.com reported.

Laforet said he isn’t letting the recall effort affect how he governs Mahwah.

“’Hundreds’ of signatures isn’t 4,000,” he said. “I’ll continue to do the good things as a mayor and I can’t be distracted or sidetracked. We’ll see the process through to its conclusion.”