Montclair Mayor Dodges Questions About Health Benefits

Laura Waters is managing editor of NJ Education Report where this report was originally published.

As the mayor of Montclair and president of the New Jersey Education Association, Sean Spiller has a lot to explain about his refusal to answer questions about taking health benefits in Montclair.

A whistleblower lawsuit has alleged that Spiller took health benefits from the township that he was not eligible for, in addition to receiving a six-figure salary from the union. The former chief financial officer of the town has also questioned Spiller’s conduct, saying that he and other town officials did not have the right to take these benefits.

Spiller has denied the allegations, but he has also refused to explain why he is not answering the questions about this matter. This is despite the fact that the New Jersey Education Association has said that it is an “open book” and that its members have a right to choose how their dues are spent.

The refusal to answer these questions about Spiller’s alleged conduct is concerning because it leaves taxpayers and local government officials in the dark about how their money is being spent. It also raises questions about the conflicts of interest that may exist between Spiller’s role as mayor and his role as president of the New Jersey Education Association.