Monday’s special council meeting, scheduled to hire an interim attorney, was instead dominated by calls for First Ward Councilor Erik D’Amato to resign. Multiple residents called for the First Ward councilor’s resignation after learning the mayor filed a police report claiming D’Amato hurled expletives at her and singled her out in a threatening way during a closed-session meeting.
Mayor Renee Baskerville’s complaint to police about D’Amato was one of two filed against the councilman. In a second police report, Fourth Ward Councilor Aminah Toler claimed he yelled expletives at her during a phone call in November. Responding to the public calls for his resignation, D’Amato on Tuesday rejected the claim he intimidated his fellow council members with what he described as his “loud cursing.”
‘I Was Outraged’
Lawrence Hamm, chairman of the social justice group, People’s Organization for Progress, was among the residents to call for D’Amato’s resignation.
“I was outraged to hear that two female members of this council were attacked in such a manner that they had to file complaints with the police of Montclair, New Jersey,” Hamm said. “That is breathtaking. That is breathtaking that members of the council would be in fear of harm to their persons.”
No charges were lodged, according to the police reports, which were obtained through Montclair Local’s public records request…