|
Hackett announces
he will stay in office
By Chris Sykes, Staff Writer
Thursday, September 27, 2007
ORANGE, NJ - One man was arrested and charged with disturbing the peace
during the City Council meeting Sept. 18 when Mayor Mims Hackett Jr. spoke
to the to the governing body and the gallery.
It was standing-room-only in the council chamber as it was filled with
Hackett’s supporters and detractors. Outside, the hallway leading to the
council’s meeting room also was full of residents who came to be a part of
the mayor’s first public appearance since he was arrested by federal
authorities and charged with corruption and accepting a $5,000 bribe.
At least 40 residents remained in the hallway outside council chambers
because they arrived too late to get inside the council chamber. So they
had to wait outside and listen to Hackett announce that he will not resign
from office. He also said he plans to seek re-election for a fourth 4-year
term as mayor in May 2008.
The atmosphere was highly charged as residents, for and against Hackett,
took turns voicing their sentiments. That led to Jeff Conway, a member of
the Citizens for Responsible Government and the Committee to Recall Mayor
Mims Hackett, being escorted out of the meeting by police, then arrested.
According to Council President Lisa Perkins, Conway was asked to leave the
meeting and then escorted from it because he refused to follow the rules
she had stated for anyone who wanted to speak that night. She said Conway
was being disruptive by showing a sign that she twice had asked him not to
display. When he refused to comply, Perkins said, he had to leave the
meeting.
As Conway was being escorted from the council chamber he yelled to Hackett,
“You’re going to jail, you bum.” Once he was outside the chambers, police
officers, who were acting as security during the meeting, handcuffed him
and took him into custody.
City officials said Conway was released on his own recognizance that
evening after being taken to police headquarters. He charged with purposely
disrupting the meeting. He appeared in municipal court the following day,
when his lawyer entered a not-guilty plea and asked for a change of venue,
that is, another municipality where the case can be heard.
Conway said he does not understand why he was arrested, because he only
made his spoken remarks after police already were escorting him out of the
meeting. Perkins said that does not matter as far as she is concerned.
“There are some people who always come to our meetings, and they’re always
the same ones, and they are here regardless of whether they agree with
everything that’s said and done or not because they really do care about
Orange and want to be a part of what’s going on here,” said Perkins. “Then
there are other people who only come to meetings when something negative or
controversial happens so they can point their fingers, cause a scene and say
derogatory things. I am all for democracy and freedom of speech, but people
have to respect others and obey the rules and when they don’t they don’t
deserve to be allowed to remain.”
Councilman Donald Page said there was no reason for Conway to be arrested
because he was leaving the meeting when he made his remarks. Page said it
is unfair that residents who came to have their say about the mayor and the
criminal charges he faces were silenced and removed from the meeting by
Perkins. Page claimed that Hackett’s supporters were allowed to stay and
have free rein on in their speeches.
“There were a number of his people in there wearing T-shirts that read
‘Don’t Believe the Lies,’ but nobody told them to remove them,” said Page.
“Why is it OK for some people to express themselves, but not for others to
do the same thing? That’s not fair. This is a democracy.”
Perkins said Page is right about one thing — “this is a democracy” — but as
the council’s leader, it is her responsibility to make sure things do not get
out of hand. She said she repeatedly asked everyone at the meeting to
respect one another by having the courtesy to let everyone speak without
interruption, but Conway and others at the meeting refused to do that, so
she had to act.
Page said he disagrees with Perkins’ version of the events. He was present
the next day when Conway was arraigned. Page said he wanted to show his
support for a taxpaying resident whom he believed was treated unfairly.
“This was unfair and I want to protest these Gestapo-like tactics that were
employed at the meeting,” said Page. “It seems like we are living in a
police state where people are arrested for speaking their minds and
disagreeing with the mayor and ruling party in town. ”
|