‘Couch-Hopping’ Montclair BOE Member Must Step Down, Man Says

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A Montclair resident and local activist is alleging that a “couch-hopping” member of the Board of Education isn’t a resident of the township and should step down from his position. His argument revolves around a nebulous question: do you have to own or rent property to be a “resident” of a town?

Last week, David Herron, a Montclair resident, announced that he filed a complaint with the state Commissioner of Education about board member Franklin Turner. In his complaint, Herron alleges that Turner is no longer a “bona fide resident of the district,” which would make him ineligible to keep his seat on the board.

In his complaint, Herron alleges that Turner, who joined the board in May 2016, has been dealing with a family-related situation for several years. In that time, Turner has been moving and staying with various friends and his mother outside Philadelphia, which basically amounts to “couch-hopping,” Herron charges.

Patch reached out to Turner for comment on the complaint via email and didn’t receive a reply. However, Montclair Board of Education President Laura Hertzog released the following statement about Herron’s allegations:

“Dr. Turner has stated publicly and on multiple occasions that he is a Montclair resident. The district is in receipt of a copy of the complaint from Mr. Herron addressed to the Commissioner of Education challenging Dr. Turner’s residency. Because the board is not a party to this complaint, no further comment is warranted. The board continues to focus on the important work of providing an excellent public education for all of Montclair's children.”

Herron claimed that Turner sold his home on Upper Mountain Avenue in September 2017, but continued to use the property for voter registration purposes, even though he no longer lived there.

Herron also claimed that Turner eventually submitted a new address to the board: a single-family home on Myrtle Avenue where he’s been living with “friends of the family.”

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