Montclair Council Chooses Terry To Fill Empty Seat After Fiery Meeting

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The Montclair Town Council has a new member, but he’s a familiar face: Roger Terry.

On Wednesday, the council voted 4-2 to approve the appointment of Terry to fill former councilman Peter Yacobellis’ unexpired term after a heated meeting that saw fiery exchanges between several of its members (watch the video below).

Yacobellis was elected to an at-large seat in 2020. He resigned last week. Read More: Yacobellis Resigns From Montclair Town Council, Will Move To WA

The decision to choose a replacement was left to the remaining council members, who picked Terry to take over the empty seat on the dais.

Bob Russo and David Cummings voted no, with each council member accusing their peers of “railroading” the discussion in Terry’s favor – although both said he is a qualified candidate.

Terry formerly served as an at-large council member in Montclair from 2008 to 2012. He is a former deputy police chief, and is the president of the Montclair NAACP. The Montclair High School alum was born and raised in the township.

Other contenders for Yacobellis’ council seat included Renee Baskerville, a former councilwoman and candidate for Montclair mayor in 2020.

Baskerville – who said she would have been interested in reprising her council role during the public comment portion of Wednesday’s meeting – got 5,250 votes (48.85 percent) in that election, losing a close race to Spiller, who saw 5,445 votes (50.66 percent).

Baskerville questioned why her name wasn’t floated by more council members.

“It’s a sad time, and I really think I can be a voice to bring us together,” she told the council.

Baskerville’s comments prompted a reply from Mayor Sean Spiller, who said he personally chose Terry because he got the third-highest number of votes for the at-large council seat in Montclair’s 2020 municipal election (behind Yacobellis and Russo).

Terry got 4,577 votes (21.9 percent), behind Yacobellis’ 5,472 votes (26.18 percent) and Russo’s 4,915 votes (23.52 percent).

Yacobellis said he also suggested Terry as his successor, saying he has “incredible character.”

“I beat him for this seat and he reached out to me immediately and asked how he can help,” Yacobellis said. “He’s been a mentor ever since.”

“As a former council member, deputy police chief and now head of the NAACP, Roger knows public service and Montclair,” Yacobellis continued. “I also consider Roger a statesman in every sense of the word; something I think the Council Chamber desperately needs. His no-nonsense demeanor and gravitas will be welcomed in that room.”

“It was important to me that this choice – that I commend the council for making – be apolitical,” Yacobellis added. “I didn't think it should go to anyone who has expressed interest in running next year as we don't need any more campaigning from the dais. Roger also didn't ask for this or campaign for it.”

Terry’s choice saw some protest from Russo and Cummings, however – not because of his qualifications, but because of the way the decision played out.

Both said they would have picked Baskerville for the empty council seat.

Russo alleged that decisions such as Terry’s appointment are being made out of session without the input of the full council, at one point calling Wednesday’s appointment “another one of those railroad jobs.”

He also said that the selection of Baskerville would have added diversity to a town council roster that doesn't currently have any women of color.

“I’ll work with Roger,” Russo said, praising Terry’s past achievements and service to the township. “But I don’t like the process.”

Cummings also said he was “concerned” about the decision-making process that led to Terry’s appointment, calling for a probe into whether Terry was contacted prior to Yacobellis’ resignation.

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