Mayor Laforet Recall Effort 'On Target,' Organizers Say

An effort to get a recall question regarding Mayor William Laforet placed on the General Election ballot in November is ”on target,” the campaign’s organizer said.

“We’re on target,” said Annette Freund, who is heading up the campaign. Freund declined to say exactly how many signatures the group has gotten. “We have a certain benchmark that we want to hit.”

A growing group of residents is attempting to get the question of whether or not William Laforet should continue as mayor on the ballot. The group needs about 4,200 signatures, 25 percent of registered Mahwah voters, to sign the petition.

“We simply want the opportunity to put the question on the ballot,” Freund said. ”We’re not telling people that we want [the mayor] out or not and they’re not signing something saying that they want him out of office.”

The group has grown to about 40 circulators is going door-to-door collecting signatures. The group also meets at the Fardale Avenue firehouse from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday mornings and from 10 a.m. to noon at the Mahwah post office.

‘We’re on target.’ - Annette Freund

Campaigners have citied five reasons for the recall, including Laforet allegedly not abiding by municipal statutes regarding the opening of an ice rink on town property and circumventing and miscommunication with the council, among other accusations.

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

The group recently put up 75 ”Recall Laforet” yard signs and created a website to aid the campaign.

“Word of mouth is our best way of communicating with people,” Freund said. “That the best resource we have.”