Mahwah Laforet Is 'Dishonest,' 'Not Trustworthy,' Residents Say

MAHWAH, NJ — Residents said in a survey they are "very dissatisfied" with Mayor William Laforet and described him as "dishonest" and "not trustworthy."

The community watchdog organization MahWatch sent the online survey to its members.

Vince Crandon, founder of the non-political organization, said he posted the survey in order to sample what the group thought and what are some of the issues members have.

"I wanted to know if our members wanted the mayor to resign," Crandon said. "I also was interested in knowing the demographics of our group."

They do want Laforet to resign.

The overwhelming majority of survey respondents, 433, or 83 percent, answered "yes" to the question of "do you want Mayor Laforet to resign?" Eighty-four respondents said "no."

Out of of 520 people, more than half, 262, responded "not well at all," to the question of how well Laforet has met the needs of Mahwah. Thirty percent said "not so well," while 7 percent said "somewhat well."

Survey respondents overwhelmingly used the following words to describe Laforet, when asked:

• Not trustworthy, 338
• Dishonest, 300
• Ineffective, 277
• Unreliable, 274

Only 38 people said Laforet is honest, while just 32 said he was trustworthy and 30 said he was truthful. Fifty-seven people said he was knowledgeable, 47 said he was dependable and 71 described him as dedicated.

Laforet dismissed the survey and its results, saying they are not "reflective of our community."

"I think there are a lot of comments favoring the mayor. It’s pure retaliation for the attorney general's lawsuit, which will cost the taxpayers of the township of Mahwah $10 million as a result of the seven council members’ votes," he said.

Laforet was not named in the nine-count complaint brought against the township and the Town Council.

Crandon discussed the survey at a Town Council meeting recently. He also announced he will formally start the process of holding a recall campaign against Laforet.

"Had the data not supported such a thing then we wouldn't have made the announcement that we did," said Crandon.

State law says Crandon has to submit the paperwork to begin the process 50 days before anniversary of Laforet's first year as mayor, which is Nov. 13.

"He's done enough damage, enough is enough," Crandon previously said. "I've been pleading with him to resign. Stop the embarrassment."

It has been a tumultuous few years for Laforet. The last two years of his previous term were marked with controversy and infighting between him and the council.

Five residents launched a recall campaign against Laforet in 2015. They claimed that Laforest allegedly did not abide by municipal statutes regarding the opening of an ice rink on town property, circumvented the Town Council's authority and accused him of using emergency communications equipment for political gain.

Officials and residents were also at odds with Laforet then regarding his decision to terminate DPW Director Ed Sinclair in 2015 over allegations of inappropriate material being watched on DPW computers.

About 4,100 residents, 25 percent of the town's registered voters, must sign a petition in order for a recall election to occur. The last recall effort failed to get the needed number of signatures.

The Town Council cast a vote of no confidence in Laforet last month — the second such vote cast against him as mayor.

Survey Results from MahWatch

RELATED: Mahwah Resident Announces Mayoral Recall Effort

RELATED: Mahwah Council Casts Vote Of No Confidence In Mayor Laforet

RELATED: Mahwah Residents Send 'Notice of Intention to Recall' to Mayor's Office

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Mayor William Laforet/Patch file photo