the staff of the Ridgewood blog
TEANECK NJ, Mayor Mark Schwartz has removed Councilwoman Hillary Goldberg from her Class I (Mayor’s Representative) seat on the Teaneck Planning Board, not due to performance issues in her Planning Board role, but in direct retaliation for her independent vote as a Council member on March 11, 2025.
Goldberg, the only Jewish woman on the Planning Board, had been specifically chosen and appointed by Schwartz himself in January 2025 to serve as his designated representative. In removing her from the Class I Planning Board seat, Schwartz openly admitted in writing that he was removing Goldberg as punishment for her Council vote, in which Goldberg objected to the council ignoring fundamental issues raised by the Planning Board.
In a March 17, 2025 email to Goldberg, Schwartz wrote:
“Based on the above, it is sadly clear that your assumed stances… are not in line with mine and the rest of the council and hereby, sadly and regrettably, yet respectfully, rescind your appointment to the Mayor’s seat on the Planning Board.”
Goldberg responded:
“That’s an admission of political retaliation in his own words. He didn’t say I was removed because of my vote while serving as his representative. I was removed because he didn’t like my vote on the Council. He didn’t even call me to ask if I had any concerns prior to the vote. He didn’t call me to ask me about my vote after. I haven’t heard from Mayor Schwartz.”
SCHWARTZ’S RETALIATION: THE TIMELINE
- January 12, 2025 – Schwartz appointed Goldberg as his Class I (Mayor’s Representative) on the Teaneck Planning Board.
- February 27, 2025 – As a Planning Board member, Goldberg voted YES on Ordinances 14-2025 and 15-2025 because they were consistent with the Master Plan, the only standard the Planning Board is required to evaluate.
- March 11, 2025 – As a Councilwoman, Goldberg voted NO on those same ordinances, not because she opposed development, but because the Council ignored the Planning Board’s recommendations, particularly on stormwater management.
- Throughout her time as Schwartz’s Planning Board representative, Goldberg made sure to reach out to Schwartz before Planning Board meetings to discuss agenda items and ensure she was representing his views. Schwartz never raised concerns about her role or her performance.
- March 17, 2025 – Schwartz removed Goldberg from the Planning Board, explicitly stating that her Council vote was the reason for her removal.
Goldberg responded:
“Not once did Mayor Schwartz raise an issue with how I represented him on the Planning Board. In fact, I made sure to reach out to him before our meetings to discuss key agenda items. I respected the role he entrusted me with. His issue isn’t my performance, it’s that he couldn’t control my vote on the Council.”
SCHWARTZ’S WORDS: A PATTERN OF CONTROL
The last time Goldberg heard from Mayor Schwartz before her removal was a WhatsApp message on February 24, 2025, where he referred to her as “Queen Esther” and attempted to bargain for her to rewrite a proposed protest ordinance he knew she had constitutional concerns about.
In that message, Schwartz wrote:
“Queen Esther, if you want to save the Jews and draft a new protest ordinance with full council support, let me know… (don’t reply now, I’m offering you a win and credit… take your time).”
Goldberg found Schwartz’s tone and approach deeply inappropriate, especially considering he later referenced Purim again in his March 17, 2025 email, where he dismissed her vote by saying:
“There is so much to say about this vote, but I will list it in bullet form to avoid, ironically, a Megillah.”
“There is nothing humorous or symbolic about retaliating against a Jewish woman for exercising independent judgment as an elected official,” Goldberg said.
Despite Schwartz himself being Jewish, his actions and his role as co-owner of The Jewish Link have fueled a disturbing narrative that political disagreement somehow equates to being a “former ally” to the Jewish community. The Jewish Link, which Schwartz owns, referred to Goldberg, who is the author of Teaneck’s Resolution Condemning Hamas and more recently, “Every Jewish Mother is Shiri Bibas”—as a “former ally to the Jewish community.” Her supposed betrayal? Refusing to vote for Deputy Mayor Karen Orgen’s proposed protest ordinance due to constitutional concerns.
Goldberg responded:
“I do not need an invitation to stand with my own people. I do not need permission to fight for my own survival. I do not need your stamp of approval to exist. I will fight for my people. Not because I am an ally, but because I am one of them. I am Jewish.
Apparently, standing up for the Constitution makes you ‘less Jewish’ in Mayor Mark Schwartz’s world. The fact that The Jewish Link tried to frame me as turning my back on the Jewish community simply because I upheld constitutional principles should concern everyone,” Goldberg said.
A HISTORY OF POLITICAL PUNISHMENT IN TEANECK
Goldberg’s removal is just the latest example of Schwartz using appointments as a political weapon. In July 2020, then-Deputy Mayor Mark Schwartz refused to reappoint Denise Belcher to the Planning Board when her term expired.
His reason? “She ran against me.”
Ironically, Schwartz replaced Belcher with Darryl Green, the same man he has now appointed to replace Goldberg in 2025.
“So let’s be clear: Mark Schwartz removed a strong, independent Black woman from the Planning Board in 2020 for political reasons. Now, in 2025, he’s removing a strong, independent Jewish woman from the Planning Board for political reasons. The pattern speaks for itself,” Goldberg said.
Schwartz has long framed himself as an advocate for fairness in appointments, but time and time again, he has shown that his real priority is control.
“He cried foul in the past when he didn’t get his way. Now he’s the Mayor, and he’s using that very power to punish a female Council member.”
STANDING UP TO ABUSE OF POWER
Goldberg is calling on residents, elected officials, and advocates for women in leadership and transparent governance to reject political retaliation in Teaneck.
“This isn’t just about me. This is about whether our local government serves the people or serves the Mayor’s personal agenda. If we don’t challenge this abuse of power, it will happen again, to anyone who dares to think for themselves.
Let’s not ignore the timing: it’s March, Women’s History Month. A Jewish woman, serving in a leadership role, was removed from her position, not for failing to do her job, but for daring to think independently. If that doesn’t sum up the struggles women still face in politics, I don’t know what does.”