Mayor blocks Mahwah residents; Recall sign theft rampant

UPDATE #1 (04/22/2018, 12:30PM): The Recall Committee placed and inspected 15 Recall signs on Ridge Road last night in advance of the Thunderbird Run today. All of those signs were STOLEN BY THIS MORNING with the exception of one. If you have information about the criminals that committed this act, please contact the Recall Committee or the Mahwah Police Department who are investigating the crime.

UPDATE #2 (04/23/2018, 2:45PM): The Ridge Road signs were recovered and are being reinstalled. The signs were removed by the Thunderbird Run without our permission. We appreciate the contributions the Mahwah Schools Foundation makes to our community and the dedication of its members. We hope the leadership of the MSF will provide better oversight and communication in the future to prevent incidents like this from occurring.

An additional 12 signs were stolen from Campgaw Road overnight. If you have information about who committed this theft, or the thefts on East Ramapo Ave., Mahwah Rd. or North Railroad Ave., please let us or the Mahwah PD know. Thank you.

UPDATE #3 (04/24/2018, 10:45AM): As of today, 30 of our 34 signs on Campgaw Road have been stolen. Someone out there knows who is doing this. Please call us or the MPD and put a stop to these criminal acts.

Mahwah residents blocked from receiving storm updates

Mahwah residents blocked from the Mayor's Facebook were unable to see posts like this or to make comments.

Mahwah, N.J. - A series of Nor‘easters battered North Jersey last month, leaving behind significant damage and thousands without power, some for as many as six days. The township of Mahwah received as much as 24 inches of snow in some areas which caused tree limbs to snap, taking down numerous power lines, blocking roads and in some cases creating extremely dangerous conditions. But there is a different kind of storm brewing in Mahwah due to the fact that many residents were unable to access important emergency information during those storms because they have been blocked by their mayor on his social media pages.

Mahwah Mayor Bill Laforet used his personal Facebook page to keep residents up to date about repair work going on in town and to get feedback from residents who were still without power. However, not all residents were able to see the information because the mayor has blocked them. Some believe that because of their opposing political beliefs or because they have been openly critical of the mayor they are being treated differently by an elected official. Long-time Mahwah resident Ralph Musco said, “As a taxpayer, I find it reprehensible that myself and other residents were blocked by our mayor during the storm and I was unable to have the same access as others to important, perhaps critical updates on Facebook. This is particularly frustrating when you consider that he has NOT blocked and even “liked” the vitriolic comments from out-of-town residents who have repeatedly and viciously maligned this wonderful town in recent months.” 

Mr. Musco was referring to posts by Ex-Englewood City Councilman Eugene Skurnick, a social media friend of Mayor Laforet, who has referred to Mahwah as the “white trash capital of New Jersey,” said that “only bigots and racists” would want to buy homes in the town and has even compared Mahwah council members to Adolf Hitler.

Mayor Laforet went on the record at the March 22nd Mahwah council meeting saying “I can block whomever I want” since, as he claims, it is his personal page. However, Mr. Musco challenged the assertion that the page is “personal” because it is regularly used to post township information, emergency notices and even the banner across the top touts Laforet’s role as “Your Mayor.” “It’s clearly not a personal page and to exclude me from it, is considered viewpoint discrimination,” said Musco.

Mayor Bill Laforet's “personal” Facebook page"

Councilman Jim Wysoki interjected during the increasingly testy exchange to ask Laforet “as Mayor of the township of Mahwah, why would you block your residents?” Laforet repeatedly replied that he “would not answer that question” and openly encouraged township residents who took issue with being excluded to pursue legal action if they had a problem with his position.

In a similar case, a resident of Glen Rock has filed suit against the Borough challenging the denial of an Open Public Records Request (OPRA) for a list of residents who have been blocked by council members. Mr. Musco filed an OPRA request for a similar list from the mayor in Mahwah and was also denied. A hearing in the Glen Rock case has been scheduled for June 15 in Superior Court in Hackensack.

Recall Signs Stolen, Vandalized

A Recall sign found vandalized and thrown in the garbage at a town park.

Mayor Laforet is currently facing a recall effort in town for the second time in four years and some say that blocking residents on social media is precisely the type of political dysfunction that they are trying to end. But in recent weeks, supporters of the mayor who oppose the recall have repeatedly stolen, destroyed, vandalized or torn down recall signs all over town. The recall committee has reported a total of more than 60 signs that have been affected. “We put up signs and sometimes they are stolen within hours,“ said resident Melanie Sue. “In fact, just this morning ahead of the Thunderbird Run in Mahwah all signs along the race course were stolen that were legally placed in the public right of way.“ To date, the mayor’s office has not made any statement condemning this behavior.

Sue, who is helping to lead the recall said, “What sort of mayor blocks his own residents from a Facebook page that he uses to put out town information? The Mayor has clearly become a divisive figure in town and all that we are trying to do is ensure that voters have a chance to choose new leadership this coming November. I’ve heard the mayor talk about protecting constitutional rights but to him and some of his supporters that seems to be only when it suits them. He is selectively indignant.”

Jessica LoPiccolo, who has also been blocked by the mayor said, “As a citizen of this town I feel it’s a violation of my rights for an elected official to treat me differently when it comes to the dissemination of important township information, simply because he doesn’t like my viewpoints.”

One long-time supporter of Mayor Laforet described the mayor’s actions over the last year as “shameful.” “Both my wife and I voted for Mayor Laforet in the last two elections,” he said. “But I just recently signed the recall petition because this sort of thing has got to stop. I just think it’s time for better leadership in this town.”