Mahwah Mayor Plans 'To Prevail' In Recall Vote, Hires Lawyer

MAHWAH, NJ — Mayor William Laforet says he plans "to prevail" in the recall effort brought against him by a group of residents who want to see him removed from office.

Laforet said he hired Angelo Genova, an employment and government contracts lawyer, and expects a "robust action on behalf of the good people of our community," but did not say if he would file a lawsuit in the matter.

Genova could not immediately be reached for comment.

Laforet defended his record during his time in office. He was re-elected to a second, four-year term in 2016.

"Township voters like living in a town where, as mayor, I fashioned two AAA bond ratings, which is rare in New Jersey, have one of the lowest property taxes in Bergen County, lower than most communities, and where we are certifiably the safest community around," Laforet said.

Local officials and residents have said Laforet has had little or nothing to do with the town receiving the bond ratings.

Laforet has a few options with regards to fighting the recall: He can challenge the validity of the signatures, fight the recall in court, or go ahead with a recall vote.

Clerk Katherine Coviello certified that at least 4,150, the minimum number needed, of the more than 5,000 signatures collected in the recall effort are from registered Mahwah voters.

"We're hopeful that the mayor can set his ego aside and recognize that more than 5,000 Mahwah residents want the opportunity to vote him out of office," said Melanie Sue, a spokesperson with recall campaign. "I would hope that he listens to the numbers carefully when choosing his next path. The wise choice would be to resign and save the township from a bitter and destructive campaign."

Laforet attributed the recall vote to "petty council politics" that has cost taxpayers more than $500,000 in legal fees.

Laforet and the council locked horns regarding a controversial ordinance banning non-New Jersey residents from using township parks. Laforet came under fire for criticizing the Town Council over the ordinance and its alleged discrimination against Orthodox Jews.

Another ordinance required peddlers to get permits before they went to residents' homes soliciting. The ordinances were proposed during a controversy regarding a Jewish religious boundary in town commonly called an eruv.

The state Attorney General's Office filed a civil rights lawsuit against the town.

Council President Robert Hermansen has denied that any prejudicial or discriminatory motives were behind the ordinances' creation and passage. The ordinances have since been repealed.

The Town Council cast a vote of no confidence in Laforet in September — the second such vote cast against him in three years.

"The ordinance was the mayor's ordinance, the mayor was the one who asked the council to take up the park ordinance," Hermansen said. "He signed off on the ordinance and we did what we requested of us by the [state] Attorney General's Office, which was rescind it. He signed it into law. We passed his ordinance and now we were asked to repeal his ordinance and we did."

It is the second recall effort launched against Laforet during his time in office. The first was in 2015, but the group in charge of it stopped its campaign because there was not enough time to get the required number of signatures.

That group claimed that Laforet 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 regarding his decision to terminate then-DPW Director Ed Sinclair in 2015 over allegations of inappropriate material being watched on DPW computers. Sinclair's estate filed a lawsuit against Laforet and Police Chief James Batelli, claiming they waged a malicious campaign against him in retaliation for Sinclair's attempt to unseat Laforet in 2012, and ultimately caused his death in August 2015.

Related:

• Mahwah Council President: We Had Nothing To Do With Recall
• Mahwah Council Casts Vote Of No Confidence In Mayor Laforet
• Residents Get Enough Signatures For Mahwah Mayoral Recall
• Ed Sinclair, Mahwah DPW Director Found Dead In His Home
• Deceased Mahwah DPW Director's Estate Files Lawsuit Against Mayor And Police Chief: Report

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Image: Mayor William Laforet (Patch file photo)