Petitions To Recall Millburn Mayor And Committeeman Are Filed; Pair Respond

MILLBURN, NJ — As a November election looms to fill two spots on Millburn's five-member Township Committee, a group of three residents has filed documents with the town clerk to recall two other committee members: Mayor Maggee Miggins and Committeeman Sanjeev Vinayak.

In Millburn's form of government, residents elect five committee members, who then choose a part-time mayor each year from among themselves.

Miggins and Vinayak are both Democrats who were elected to the committee in 2020.

In the upcoming election, there are two Republicans, two Democrats, and two Independents running for the two open seats.

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The "Notice of Intent" documents to ask for a recall election were hand delivered to Town Clerk Christine Gatti on Aug. 24 and approved and signed on Aug. 29.

The forms were turned in by a Recall Committee of residents Dennis Fabian, Rene Paparian, and Lena Einhorn.

The forms say of Miggins, "When she was sworn into office as a Millburn Township Committee member, Maggie Miggins accepted a weighty duty requiring her to act in a FIDUCIARY Capacity for the benefit of all residents and each neighborhood in Millburn Township. Ms. Miggins has failed to act with scrupulous good faith and candor. She has breached her fiduciary duty through words and actions. She had disregarded the best interests of the community."

The petition against Vinayak includes similar language.

Voters would decide about the recall in a special election.

Miggins responded to the effort with a brief statement: "A recall effort is at its core an effort to undo the will of the voters, and in this case, to undo the will of Millburn neighbors and citizens who cast their votes in the 2020 election."

She added, "I take my responsibility seriously, and I view my actions as a public official as a public trust. I do not intend to be distracted from the important work of the township and the attention it deserves. I remain as confident in those voters who asked me to serve then as I do now."

Vinayak released this statement:

“I chose to run for Millburn Township Committee because this is my home, it is where I raise my family, and this is where I plan to live for years to come.

"As an elected official, I am a representative of the township residents and businesses who have laid their trust in me. This has always been the lens I have used in decision-making.

"I agree completely that I have a fiduciary duty towards the residents and neighborhoods in Millburn Township, however, I disagree that I have not held up to this duty.

"I have always had the township’s betterment as my goal and have consistently based my decisions on facts shared with transparency and honesty. My responsibility is to represent all residents and I am confident that I have ALWAYS done so.

"I have a job to do to which I was duly elected, a responsibility to keep, one that I have fulfilled diligently and will continue to do for as long as the residents see fit for me to do so.

"I thank everyone for their faith in me and hope they will continue to trust me as we move forward."

In recent years, controversial issues have plagued Millburn, from affordable housing to flooding.

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