Another layer of the onion has been pulled back...

I want to share some updates with you all but before I do, allow me to copy and paste something I wrote on Facebook, which someone requested I share, here-

I have received first-class information that there are FAR too many of our fellow residents who are not, in the know. I am actually gravely concerned by how few of us really have all the info available. But please consider, it isn't that these residents are getting the 'wrong' idea from reading the paper...it is literally the fact that they have 'NO' idea that anything is even going on. We need to really mobilize and educate our fellow residents. But I'm not implying we should just bombard them with anti-Laforet information. I feel we need to offer some history and objective information from which they can arrive at their own conclusions. We need some leaders to step up and take charge of these kinds of initiatives. Some groups in town are already taking some steps but I'm sure they would agree, the more help, the better. We need to also take swifter action as I remain extremely concerned about what could come after the election.

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One question that's been on my mind lately is, why now? Why is all of this happening, now? The location makes sense as we are next door to Rockland County but the timing was really confusing me. To begin answering this question, we need to first understand that on January 18, 2017, "in a decision that could reshape hundreds of communities, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that municipalities must allow the development of affordable housing for poor and middle-class families whose needs were ignored for more than 16 years(1)." In theory, this is a well-intended idea. In reality, however, the laws are too general and leave far too much room for interpretation. For folks like Todd Sherer, Chairman of Mahwah's Planning Board, this translates to a major opportunity. I referenced Sherer in my last article but want to again stress how dangerous this man is to our communities. First of all, he is extremely smart, very careful, and extremely well connected. Should Phil Murphy win (Democrat running for Governor of NJ), Sherer will no doubt be part of his administration and at that point, we're finished. It is damn near impossible to find anything on this man of true substance. But what we do know is that he manages cash-based hedge funds, among other real estate related investments while also being Chairman of the Planning Board. To me, that's a conflict of interest all on its own. To that end, I question whether or not Sherer is involved with these real estate and development deals in our town and elsewhere.

Now that we understand the enormous opportunities that exist for developers, let's also consider a few relationships so we can appreciate how the money is likely flowing (this is unconfirmed and based on my observations, only). Have you heard of Jim McQueeny? If not, commit his name to memory. McQueeny is the Chairman of a lobbying firm called, Winning Strategies. McQueeny is also the husband of Mahwah's Freeholder, Mary Amoroso. Mary and Mayor Laforet are best buds. They truly, truly are...besties. And with that, the Mayor has enjoyed the benefit of McQueeny's support given how well-connected this man is with major TV networks and a wealth of other media outlets. But McQueeny is not 'just' a media guy. He is also extremely well-connected and is very wealthy. Between Sherer and McQueeny, Mayor Laforet is able to get away with damn near anything without directly tying his name to it.

Based on my own, unconfirmed observations, I am starting to see this all with extreme clarity-

1. Should Phil Murphy win the Governorship, his devotion to affordable housing centers on the fact it would give him an opportunity to line his pockets AND gain substantial campaign contributions from all of the folks listed above. Laforet is an extremely gifted fundraiser and Murphy knows this.
   
2. It is my belief, that Sherer is brokering deals to sell properties, with a long-term intention of building affordable housing on this land. But to achieve this, he would need to be able to rezone this land, which he cannot do without the Town Council's blessing.
   
3. In the 2016 election, Laforet pushed Wong to run for Mayor so that the vote would be split, ensuring Roth would lose. This year, Laforet is pushing Susan Steinberg and Vicky Galow for Town Council, with the sole intention of getting one step closer to being able to control the Council and their decisions. I wrote about these two candidates, here.
   
4. While waiting, land is being sold to hedge funds and other investors, who are not disclosed to residents.
   
5. The long-term goal is to have enough residents where a Bloc vote can ensure the 'right' folks are elected to the Town Council so that zoning can be changed.

If we refer back to Brooklyn, NY and realize that the overwhelming majority of Ultra-Orthodox and Hassidic residents are on some form of welfare. They choose religious study over pursuing a career, which is 110% their prerogative. But the issue is, we have to foot the bill. I highly advise rereading my first article now that we have uncovered so much more about what is happening around us. In Rockland County, they leveraged a Bloc vote to transition affordable housing into high-density. We can easily look back in time to what Christopher St. Lawrence did in the Town of Ramapo (Rockland County, NY) and see the same patterns of behavior, the same plotting, and unethical behavior. And with that, in the hope that the Mayor reads this, I want to address him, directly-

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Mr. Mayor:

I could ask you how you are able to look at your family in the eyes while knowingly and willingly destroy a town you claim to love. I could ask you when it was that your empathy became so impaired that you would choose money over protecting or at the very least, defending, a community of families, children, hardworking professionals, teachers, and more. I could ask you how, as a Cancer survivor, you can possibly be so cruel. I could ask you why you won't force your Police Chief, your own appointee why he doesn't do his job or why you won't replace him but I know you wouldn't be honest in sharing the fact you're afraid of him. I could ask why you would won't fight back against Grewal regarding his efforts to stop the enforcement of town ordinances. He's a prosecutor...not a Judge and as such, bears no such authority to make such a demand. But his family donates so much money to you the question would need to focus on whether you're worried about your donations or actually needing to fight for something on our behalf.

I could ask you all of these questions but each one would require that you (actually) have a soul or at the very least, an interest in being honest. And so instead, what I'm going to ask...is that you resign. If you care as much about our town as you say, then step aside and allow someone else to come in and get the job done that you are either unwilling or unable to do, yourself. You won the last election by manipulating the vote (ensuring it was split), and already have had one recall effort pursued. Mahwah doesn't need or want you in the way any longer.

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1. http://www.northjersey.com/sto...