WEST NEW YORK — You know it’s not going to be an average Board of Education meeting when the West New York police chief is in the audience and the board attorney sits on stage next to its most controversial member.
On Wednesday, in an unprecedented act by the board, trustee and former board president Cosmo Cirillo was voted off by his fellow board members.
The state issued a second letter on Nov. 2 requesting, once again, that Cirillo step down. The first letter was issued on Aug. 11. The state ruled that his full-time job as a clerk with the West New York municipal court conflicted with his board membership and was in violation of the Code of Conduct for Judiciary Employees.
Cirillo and his attorney, Edward T. Rogan, had appealed the ruling, but the most recent letter stated that the AOC had reviewed the documents and issued the same ruling.
Three BOE members voted yes to Board Vice President Vilma Reyes’ motion to vote Cirillo off the board.
And then Cirillo refused to leave.
This is when Mayor Felix Roque approached the board and argued with Cirillo.
“I’m not asking you now, I’m telling you now,” Roque said. “Option number one, you step down. Option number two, I’m going to have the police gently escort you out of here.”
For more details, see this weekend’s edition of the West New York Reporter. —Gennarose Pope
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