Former Mount Arlington councilman pleads guilty to bribery in attorney reappointment scheme
MOUNT ARLINGTON BOROUGH, N.J. (Morris County) — A former Mount Arlington Borough councilman has pleaded guilty to accepting a $7,000 bribe in exchange for supporting a lawyer’s bid to be reappointed as municipal attorney, state officials announced Friday.
John S. Windish, 72, of Landing, entered the guilty plea to third-degree conspiracy to commit bribery in official and political matters during a virtual hearing on May 29 before Superior Court Judge Peter Tober in Somerset County. Windish appeared remotely from a nursing facility.
According to Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA), Windish agreed under a plea deal to forfeit the $7,000 bribe and is permanently barred from holding public office in New Jersey. The state will recommend noncustodial probation at his sentencing, scheduled for 9 a.m. on July 17, 2025.
“Elected officials who can be bought violate the law and are not worthy of the trust given by the electorate,” Platkin said. “Decisions by municipal officials should be made with the best interests of the community in mind, not the best interests of the officials’ bank account.”
According to court documents and statements, Windish solicited an illegal campaign contribution in 2018 from a lawyer seeking reappointment as borough attorney. In exchange for promising his support, Windish accepted an envelope of cash at a hotel in Hanover. State law prohibits cash contributions over $200 for a single election. Windish lost the primary a month later and has not held office since.
“Those who would sell their public office, and the honor of being a public servant, for personal gain at the expense of taxpayers should know they will be investigated and prosecuted,” said Drew Skinner, executive director of OPIA.
Windish is among several former officials accused of taking bribes from a cooperating witness in a broader public corruption probe. Others charged include former Jersey City Board of Education President Sudhan Thomas; former State Assemblyman and Bayonne mayoral candidate Jason O’Donnell; former Morris County Freeholder John Cesaro; and former freeholder candidate Mary Dougherty.
Dougherty pleaded guilty to false swearing in 2021 and was sentenced to probation and forfeiture of a $10,000 illegal payment.
