Voting for our Mahwah Mayor on Tuesday

I want to live in a town where the mayor and the town council work closely together for the betterment of my family and all residents.

At this moment in the election season, all of the candidates for an elected office in Mahwah have done and said everything that they will do or say to try to convince the voters to cast their ballots in their favor.

I believe that for Mahwah to be successfully governed, there needs to be a great deal of communication, coordination and cooperation between the mayor and the town council. Unfortunately, for at least the past 18 months, there has been a very negative and adversarial relationship between Mayor Laforet and the seven members of the Mahwah Town Council. The negativity has reached the point where the mayor has not attended the last five council meetings and the council has taken a vote of “No Confidence” in the mayor’s leadership. Both the mayor and the council have said some very damaging things that have placed them in a virtual irrevocable and irreparable position.

This current negative relationship is disrespectful to the residents and detrimental to the governing of our town.

I think that the mayor and the council must communicate, coordinate and cooperate with each other for the good of our town and all residents. The relationship between the mayor and the council is the foundation and the cornerstone of governing in Mahwah. The mayor and the council must work together to PROTECT the town from internal and external threats, PRESERVE the character that makes Mahwah special and work together to PROMOTE the town to attract new residents and businesses.

From my viewpoint, if Mayor Laforet is not recalled and continues to be the mayor of Mahwah, the current adversarial climate with the town council will continue and nothing substantially beneficial will occur in Mahwah for at least the next two years when the next mayoral election occurs.

When I review Mayor Laforet’s statements and advertisements, there is no mention of trying to work with the town council toward the goal of improving Mahwah. If he wanted to work for a better Mahwah, he would state that he would try to reconcile with the town council and work for all Mahwah residents.

As I see it, the only mayoral candidate who has stated that he is willing to work with the council is John Roth. He has stated that it his intention is to work with the council to protect and promote the town and to address the many important issues that are now confronting us.

Therefore, on Tuesday I will be voting for the Recall and voting for John Roth for mayor because he is ready, willing and able to work with the town council and will eliminate the current negative tension between the mayor and the council. His long history of working with previous mayors and councilmen when he served on the Town Council, Planning Board and the Board of Education will be beneficial to him as he brings the right attitude to the position of Mayor of Mahwah.

The Town Council has expressed their desire to work with John Roth to make Mahwah a better place and I believe that a close working relationship will be established with the council – something that will not be attainable if Mayor Laforet continues to be mayor.

John Fesen