Mahwah Council Casts Vote Of No Confidence In Mayor Laforet

MAHWAH, NJ — The Township Council cast a vote of no confidence in Mayor William Laforet Thursday night — the second such vote cast against him as mayor.

The vote was 6-0. Councilwoman Janet Ariemma abstained from voting. The vote was cast during the public portion of the meeting after residents called Laforet out about an interview he gave about the no-knock ordinance.

According to an interview he had with Chasing News, Laforet stated that Mahwah had no history of any objections by residents about people banging on their doors. Several residents at the meeting disagreed with this point, saying they had unwanted people bang on their doors in the past.

Laforet again finds himself at the center of controversy more than two years after a group of residents launched a recall campaign against him, but withdrew it before a special election could be held, and the council cast a vote of no confidence.

The last two years of Laforet's previous term were marked with controversy and infighting between him and the council. Laforet ran the township like a business, something council members did not necessarily agree with. There was also a scandal involving the former head of the Department of Public Works. Others say he failed to protect the township's real estate assets and disregarded township policies.

Photo: Mayor William Laforet/Patch file photo

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