MAHWAH – Heeding advice from its attorneys, the Township Council voted Thursday night to walk back two controversial ordinances that are the subject of a civil rights lawsuit filed by the state Attorney General’s Office.
The council on Thursday voted to introduce an ordinance that would replace the parks ban with language that says Mahwah’s parks and playgrounds may be used by “Residents and non-residents alike.” The council also approved a separate resolution disavowing the proposed law that would have prohibited the posting of the white PVC pipes that denote the eruv.
LAWSUIT: Mahwah council delays vote on $175,000 to fight eruv lawsuits.
Residents for months had also complained of overcrowding at local parks, particularly by Orthodox Jews from New York.After the state filed its lawsuit against the town, council members defended the laws as non-discriminatory.