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Roth made international headlines earlier this year when he passed out drunk and pantless in a township employee’s bed during a party.
The council recommended after that incident that the he undergo an alcohol assessment and receive counseling on township policies and anti-discrimination laws.
What prompted their response this time was Roth's behavior while presiding at a public meeting late last month.
Roth promised during the meeting that cellphone service was coming to a dead zone in the north end of town.
A resident repeatedly questioned Roth’s estimate of three weeks from that night – to which the mayor replied, “No, from a million years from now.”
It was another example, some said, of an issue that council members had asked Roth to work on.
The no-confidence resolution unanimously adopted by the council Thursday night cited the mayor for:
- failing to maintain decorum at a public meeting;
- failing to provide accurate information to the public at a public meeting and online;
- failing to provide pertinent information to the public and the council during a public emergency.
“We had a conversation weeks ago and nothing had improved," Councilman James Wysocki said. “The township deserves respect. We work for them. They don't work for us."
As before, the council members didn’t raise the possibility of the mayor resigning.
"I know you work hard for the township," Councilman Jonathan Wong told Roth. "Hopefully these are things we can all do better."
For his part, Roth said he misspoke about the cellphone situation and that he was surprised and shocked by the no-confidence vote.
Roth previously admitted that he was drunk when he removed his pants and passed out in a township employee’s bed during a Jan 10 house party.
The mayor had said in an interview that he’d had too much to drink that night and apologized to the employee but considered the incident a private matter.
He later relented and publicly apologized.
SEE: Mahwah Mayor Apologizes Publicly For Passing Out Drunk, Pantless In Township Worker’s Bed
Roth, who’d been a township councilman for 12 years and a school board trustee for five, became mayor two years ago.
His seat is up for re-election this fall.
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