Former councilman John S. Windish accepted an unlawful several thousand dollars during his reelection campaign in 2018.
Posted Mon, Jun 2, 2025 at 4:24 pm ET
MOUNT ARLINGTON, NJ — A former Mount Arlington councilman pleaded guilty last week after accepting a bribe from an attorney, the NJ Attorney General Matthew Platkin said Monday.
John S. Windish, 72, of Landing, was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery in official and political matters. According to court documents, Windish solicited an illegal campaign donation from a tax attorney to support his re-election effort in 2018.
An investigation revealed that Windish had accepted a $7,000 cash bribe from the attorney and promised to make him Mount Arlington’s Borough Attorney once re-elected.
According to NJ election law, candidates cannot accept a cash donation of more than $200 from a single contributor for a single election.
Windish lost the Primary Election a month after accepting the bribe and has not served in public office since.
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The attorney, who is working as a confidential informant, also claimed that several other NJ officials have accepted bribes from him.
Others charged regarding bribery include Jersey City Board of Education President Sudhan Thomas, former State Assemblyman and former Bayonne Mayoral Candidate Jason O’Donnell of Bayonne, former Morris County Freeholder John Cesaro of Parsippany, and former candidate for Morris County freeholder Mary Dougherty of Morristown, according to Platkin.
Similarly to Windish’s case, the informant claims that the defendants agreed to use their influence to employ his firm for government work upon accepting the bribes.
While the cases against Thomas, O’Donnell, and Cesaro remain pending, Dougherty pleaded guilty in 2021 and was sentenced to probation and forfeiture of the illegal $10,000 payment she had received.
Mary Dougherty, the wife of Morristown Mayor Timothy Dougherty, had her real estate license revoked by the New Jersey Real Estate Commission after the arrest, in January of 2023.
"The fact that Dougherty’s deceitful conduct was done intentionally while seeking public office, where integrity and honesty are demanded of public officials, makes Dougherty’s actions more egregious, and demonstrates both a lack of good moral character and unworthiness for licensure," stated the revocation order.
The commission stated that even though the act did not involve Dougherty's real estate license or real estate transactions, it had an impact on her standing with the organization. The commission strives to ensure that all individuals who hold licenses demonstrate behavior that instills public trust."Being convicted of engaging in deceitful conduct in pursuit of public office, does not instill public trust and bespeaks of actions demonstrating a lack of integrity and honesty," the revocation order stated.
In Dougherty’s defense, the commission heard testimony from three recent supervisors at two real estate firms, all of whom stated that Dougherty was a competent and compassionate employee.
Dougherty's real estate license was revoked for one year as part of the official decision, with the condition that if she attempts to issue another license, she will be placed on probation for the next two years.
“Elected officials who can be bought violate the law and are not worthy of the trust given by the electorate,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Decisions by municipal officials, particularly decisions that involve the spending of taxpayer dollars, should be made with the best interests of the community in mind, not the best interests of the officials’ bank account.”
Windish, who is now barred from serving in a public office, will have to forfeit the ill-gotten $7,000, and is scheduled for sentencing in July. The State will recommend that Windish is sentenced to unsupervised probation in exchange for his guilty plea.