June 22, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 Wyckoff Zoning board attorney tenders resignation by John Koster Harold Cook III, the attorney for the Wyckoff Zoning Board of Adjustment, has tendered his resignation as a contract employee of Wyckoff pending the outcome of the investigation for offenses allegedly committed elsewhere, without conceding any guilt in the charges against him. Christopher Botta, Esq., the current mayor of Ramsey, has been appointed the zoning board’s attorney on an interim basis. “He was an outstanding board of adjustment attorney and I can understand that he needs the time to get his other problems straightened out,” Wyckoff Township Committeeman Rudy Boonstra, the governing body’s liaison to the board of adjustment, said of Cook. “I certainly wish him well.” Boonstra said Cook has also resigned from his posts as municipal magistrate in Ringwood, Wanaque, Haledon, and North Haledon. Wyckoff Mayor Kevin Rooney concurred with Boonstra’s good wishes, but had no further comment. Rooney had previously praised Cook’s knowledge of land use law. Salvatore Alfano delivered a letter to Wyckoff Board of Adjustment Chairman Douglas Christie on June 13, effectively submitting Cook’s resignation. “I represent Harold Cook,” Alfano wrote. “As you know, the disciplinary counsel for the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct has filed a complaint against Judge Cook. Although Judge Cook intends to vigorously defend himself and address any concerns the committee has, he is concerned about the deleterious impact the allegations in this complaint in and of themselves may have on the orderly administration of the board of adjustment and public perception of the process pending resolution of the same. And, needless to say, the orderly administration of the board and the public perception of the process are of paramount importance and must take precedence. “My client has therefore decided, subject to your concurrence and without any admissions, to take a voluntary leave of absence without pay as counsel to the board pending resolution of the complaint.” Cook was not charged of any wrong-doing in relation to his role in Wyckoff as attorney for the Wyckoff Board of Adjustment. In that capacity, he advises the board on land use matters, a job for which he received local praise and approval. The investigation essentially questions whether Cook’s involvement in a number of companies he owns, which reportedly left him several million dollars in debt, and the fact that his wages as a judge in other communities have been garnished to pay judgments against him, could have affected his judicial performance. Cook has been contacted at his law office, but he has declined to comment.