Censure and litigation shadow Ben Lopez’s re‑election campaign; he says cases unresolved and denies wrongdoing

At a candidates forum in Montclair, council incumbent Ben Lopez faced repeated questions about a council censure and related litigation while defending his decision to seek reelection.

Candidates and audience members raised the council’s prior censure of Lopez and the mayor’s call for his resignation over allegations relating to staff sexual harassment. Raft said Lopez had not completed city‑required ethics training and supported continued censure to protect city employees. Johnson also emphasized the importance of ensuring staff feel safe and said she would support measures that protect employees.

Lopez responded that the matter is the subject of ongoing civil litigation, that attorneys had advised parties to limit public comment and that the cases have not gone to trial. He said some charges were consolidated and reduced, asserted his innocence and asked voters to judge him by his record. Lopez also disputed a widely cited legal‑fees figure, calling the "purported $750,000 that was expended for attorneys fees" premature and noting he could not discuss details because of attorney guidance.

Why it matters: Questions about the censure and litigation go to candidate fitness and transparency for voters weighing the Nov. 5 election. The forum provided candidates a public setting to state positions on employee protections, ethics training and whether a censured official should remain eligible to run.

Quotable: Lopez said, "Someone is still innocent until proven guilty," and that attorneys had advised restraint in public statements; Raft said council members must "abide by the rules" and complete required ethics training.

The forum did not produce new legal determinations; candidates urged voters to consider both the facts and each candidate’s record when deciding in November.