Attorney Dan O’Hern, seen at right with Mayor Pasquale Menna in 2014, represents the borough in the lawsuit. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
A Superior Court judge deferred an immediate decision Friday morning on whether to temporarily remove Angela Mirandi from the Red Bank council, as demanded by a pending lawsuit.
Following a brief hearing conducted via Zoom, Judge David Bauman said he would decide the question “shortly.” He gave no indication if that meant hours or days.
At issue is a lawsuit filed by two members of the Red Bank Democratic committee. They claim they were unlawfully excluded from the process of deciding party nominees to forward to the council as potential successors to Erik Yngstrom, who quit in January.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed February 22, are Councilwoman Kathy Horgan and party secretary Kate Okeson. The defendants are Mirandi, the borough, the Democratic organization and its chairman, Councilman Ed Zipprich.
In court papers, special attorney Dan O’Hern Jr., representing the borough, said Mirandi’s removal would be a “drastic” response to a situation that poses no threat.
His argument is in line with those offered by lawyers for the other defendants.
Here are the key filings:
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