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Pompton Lakes council debates workshop voting rules and decorum after verbal threats allegation
Summary
Council members spent an extended portion of the meeting debating whether voting or straw polls are appropriate in workshop sessions, criticized repeated interruptions, and heard an allegation by a councilmember that another member threatened physical harm; the borough attorney said workshop practice varies and recommended funneling remarks through the presiding officer.
A heated portion of the Pompton Lakes meeting centered on the purpose and practice of workshop sessions, decorum during votes, and a serious interpersonal dispute among council members. One councilmember described a prior workshop that included voting and said the conduct there was "completely inappropriate," alleging that a colleague threatened to choke her and that she filed a police report.
Borough Attorney David Luther told the council there is no statute governing workshops and that practices vary among municipalities. He said workshops are typically non-voting and that what occurred previously appeared to be a straw poll rather than a binding vote. He advised the council on the standard sequence of "move, discussion, vote" per Robert's Rules and emphasized that comments should be directed to the mayor and not exchanged across the dais.
Council members on both sides pressed for clearer protocol. The mayor emphasized that questions and discussion should be funneled through the chair and urged the body to stop talking over one another. Several members agreed to review video records to determine whether a seated member was off-camera during prior meetings and whether seat assignments or camera coverage should be adjusted. The attorney suggested that motions made in a workshop could be pulled and readdressed if confusion occurred.
Why it matters: the exchange raised governance questions about transparency, meeting protocol, and members' safety and civility. The council agreed to address procedures in a future workshop and to consider changes to seating or camera setup to ensure members remain on camera during meetings.
