Two newcomers join Mahwah Council

MAHWAH — Two newcomers took seats on the Township Council on Thursday night, one who was elected in November and another appointed by council vote.

James Wysocki, who won a seat in the general election, was sworn first. Shortly after, council members appointed David May by a 5-0 vote with one abstention to fill the council seat left empty by Jonathan Marcus.

Wysocki is former Mahwah police officer of 29 years and volunteer firefighter.

“I’m happy to serve residents in any way I can,” he said.

May admitted his path to the council was “unexpected.” He had thought many times about running for council, but “never pulled the trigger," he said. Currently he is an active member of the township’s Recreation Committee and multiple sports booster clubs.

Councilwoman Janet Ariemma cast the lone abstention on May’s vote. She had nominated former councilman and current Planning Board member Ward Donigian for the vacancy, but failed to rally support from the council.

Marcus won election to the council in November, but declined the seat less than a month later, citing personal reasons.

When reached for comment, Marcus said Donigian would have been his choice because of the experience factor. Donigian served on the council for eight years from 1994 to 2002.

“I am disappointed in what happened,” Marcus said, viewing May’s selection as a political vote.

Five of the six council members who voted for May — Wysocki, Robert Hermansen, Steve Sbarra and George Ervin — had supported one another during the November election. May also worked on Sbarra’s council campaign in two prior elections, once as treasurer and another time as campaign manager.

Mahwah is a nonpartisan town, meaning council members do not identify themselves with a political party during elections.

Marcus, however, was not on the same ticket as Sbarra, Ervin and Wysocki, who all ran for council seats in November.

Hermansen denied that his vote for May was politically motivated, saying both nominees would serve the town well. May’s commitment to attend and stream videos of council meetings in recent years swayed his vote, Hermansen said.

“You want someone who has an understanding of what’s going on,” Hermansen said.

Thursday night also saw Mayor Bill Laforet sworn in for a third time. He was elected to an unexpired term in 2011, won re-election in 2012 and then again in November, defeating Councilman Jonathan Wong and former Council President John Roth.

Laforet’s most recent tenure saw a failed effort to recall him from office for firing a former political opponent in the public works office.

On Thursday night, he preached unity among the local governing body. His friend, former New York Giants football star Leonard Marshall, joined him on the dais.

“We have an opportunity to do really great things. We can decide to move forward with the best interests of this community at heart. I believe that is the case,” Laforet said.