Hearing for activist set for next week
Wall resident arrested Sept. 26 outside fort reuse meeting
BY SUE MORGAN
Staff Writer

EATONTOWN- Environmental and peace activist Tom Mahedy is expected to appear before a municipal court judge at 9 a.m. next Thursday to face charges of disorderly conduct in relation to his actions at the Sept. 26 meeting of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority (FMERPA).

Just before he appears in court, at 8:45 a.m., Mahedy and several like-minded activists will hold a press conference at the back entrance of Eatontown Borough Hall, located at 47 Broad St.

It was inside that public building that Eatontown police arrested and charged Mahedy after he refused to leave last month's FMERPA meeting when ordered to do so.

The incident was prompted by Mahedy's refusal to sit down after he exceeded the three-minute public speaking limit set by the authority.

When Mahedy did not comply with authority chairman Robert Lucky's requests to take his seat, FMERPA member and Eatontown Mayor Gerald J. Tarantolo directed police to take Mahedy out of the meeting room.

Once outside the room, police told Mahedy to leave Borough Hall, but he refused to do so, according to police reports.

Mahedy, who was released on his own recognizance after his arrest, was arraigned on Oct. 5 in Eatontown Municipal Court.

Depending upon the judge's ruling, Mahedy could face either a maximum $500 fine or 30 days in jail.

"If found guilty, I plan on refusing to pay any of the fine on the principle that I did nothing wrong," Mahedy said in an e-mailed statement.

"My family and I don't want me to go to jail, but if that is what is needed to speak for those whose voices are not being heard - the veterans, those without homes, the earth and the global community of life - then so be it," he added.

Municipal Prosecutor Pasquale Menna, who was present at Mahedy's arraignment, said he has advised the activist to plead not guilty to the charges.

However, because Tarantolo was present when Mahedy was taken out of the meeting, Menna said he has recommended in a letter to the municipal court judge that the case be heard outside of Eatontown.

Moving the hearing outside of the borough would help avoid any possible conflict of interest between the judge, as a borough employee, and the mayor, Menna explained.

Mahedy has told FMERPA members that he advocates using the Fort Monmouth property for environmentally sensitive projects, a homeless shelter and medical facilities for military veterans.