I began to research corruption in Montclair in the fall of 2023. Since the May 2020 municipal election when Sean Spiller was elected mayor of Montclair, one scandal after another came to my attention.
To begin with, the election results seemed suspect, as the Montclair post office at 125 Glenridge Avenue closed early and any ballots received after closing were not counted. Then there were accusations that the Montclair Firefighters promotional exam discriminated against black firefighters [Montclair Fire Department Promotional Exam].
Then an at-large councilor was accused of conflicts of interest. He was employed by a local non-profit, Out Montclair, and his salary was largely funded by a donation from a local developer seeking approval from the council to redevelop Lackawanna Plaza with over 300 apartments, offices and retail space.
The Town council approved a heavily discounted shared fire services contract with the adjacent town, Glen Ridge, which cost Montclair residents more than $20 million over the ten year term [Glen Ridge Fire Services Contract]. And soon after, the CFO Padmaja Rao, filed a workplace harassment claim against the then Township manager, Timothy Stafford, including many other accusations of fraud [Rao Case].
In June 2023, the Township’s website was hacked and held for ransom, which the mayor paid without following the proper approval process [Cyber Attack].
But it was the Town council meeting of October 10, 2023 to approve the redevelopment plan for Lackawanna Plaza where I observed fraud occur before my eyes that spurred me to launch a multi-year investigation into local fraud and corruption [NJEA Whistleblower Claim].
The scope of my investigation increased overtime, leading to an examination of hidden history of Montclair [Red Lining]. All of these topics and more are the subject of further analysis on the pages of Montclair Progressive or Corrupt.
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